Black & Gold
by BeautifulUnseen
Summary: Sequel to Roses Dipped In Gold. Kurt and Blaine realize that overcoming Class differences was just the beginning for them as everything they worked so hard to achieve is suddenly in danger. Colors have always defined their lives; purple, green, yellow, red and gold, and now...black.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: It's baaaaaack! This is the sequel to Roses Dipped In Gold. If you haven't read that, or the one shot Favorite Daydream that takes place between RDIG and this story, go do that now! This picks up a few months after Favorite Daydream ends (so approximately one year after K & B meet for the first time). **

**I'm excited to share this with you. Hope you enjoy this nice little intro. :)**

 _ **Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 _ **Elite Weekly**_

 _Anderson and Hummel Wedding Bells?_

 _Our beloved golden boy, Blaine Anderson may be on the road to matrimony. We've known that he was off the market ever since he made his historic announcement after being photographed with one previously Low Class prostitute Kurt Hummel, but you heard it here first, boys and girls, it appears that Blaine was seen shopping for rings. Engagement or wedding, it is unclear. Dry your tears, gentlemen, however, because these two are in the spotlight, and we all know how celebrity relationships end. So sit back and relax and watch as your young, gorgeous Chancellor gets hitched to gold digging Kurt Hummel before it all crashes and burns around him._

* * *

"For the thousandth time, Dad, Blaine and I are not getting married. Not for a long while, anyway," Kurt rolled his eyes, knowing his dad could sense the gesture even though they were talking on the phone.

"But the article said—"

"I know what the article said, since you read it out loud to me. But you can't believe everything you read. Please stop reading that magazine. If Blaine and I get engaged, you'll be the first to know."

"But what about the other things they said about you?"

Kurt gritted his teeth, already sick of the speculation. "Are you questioning my motives for being with Blaine?"

"Of course not!" Burt sounded offended. "I'm just worried about how these people could affect you and your relationship."

"Don't worry about us, Dad. Blaine and I are so much stronger than that. A few idiots can't come between us."

"Okay, okay, but you can't blame your old man for worrying."

Kurt softened, knowing how much his dad cared for him and Blaine. "I know. But we're more than fine. And like I said, not getting married, but when we do, you'll be the first to know."

Burt seemed appeased for the moment. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

"You too. Love you, Dad."

Kurt hung up the phone and looked down at the gold band around his finger, sighing deeply.

He hadn't lied to his father, he and Blaine _were_ more than fine. They would never let what they had be ruined by some stupid comments made by the media, but as sure as they both were of each other, it was hard not to let the articles and comments and pictures play on their insecurities.

The double beep of the alarm system letting Kurt know that someone had come in the back door made him jump. He slipped off the ring, put it back in the box, and shoved it back behind the balled up socks in Blaine's underwear drawer where he had found it. He hadn't lied to his father about that either.

Finding the ring stashed there was not completely intentional. Kurt had been clearing out some of the clothes Blaine never wore anymore and happened upon it. What hadn't been an accident was Kurt opening the box and slipping the ring on his finger. And coming back twice more to do it again.

Why Blaine had an engagement ring hidden away in their house was beyond Kurt, who had made his stance on their marriage very, very clear: it could wait. They were young and happy, and plus, interclass marriage had not yet formally been approved by the council.

At the same time, though, knowing Blaine had bought a ring sent a thrill through him. He did want to be tied to Blaine in every possible way. Someday.

He sighed and left the room, attempting to leave thoughts of the ring with it.

Kurt met Blaine as he was walking through the kitchen and stripping off his jacket. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Blaine had been backed into a chair and Kurt was straddling his hips, effectively pinning him down. Not that he was complaining.

"Hi," Blaine huffed out in surprise, and though a joking frown played at his lips, his fingers automatically found purchase in the fabric at Kurt's hips. "This is...unexpected."

Kurt shrugged with a flirty smile.

"What? My boyfriend comes home from a long day working to save the world looking sexy as all get out and I can't wait to make love to him. Is that so wrong?" Kurt leaned in and gave Blaine a torturously slow kiss.

"Uh...no. Not at all."

Kurt made a sound of contentment as he resumed his kisses while Blaine's brain continued to short circuit. Just as Kurt swept his tongue across Blaine's lower lip, causing him to shiver, Blaine pushed him back lightly.

"Wait, wait, wait," he murmured breathlessly.

Kurt groaned, but complied, hands still tangled in Blaine's silky curls. The sight of his blown pupils almost made Blaine forget his thoughts once more, but he closed his eyes and centered himself.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait until I'm done ravishing you?" Kurt circled his hips down so his erection rubbed against Blaine's, and they both moaned at the contact.

"Well of course, but it's something I think you're really going to like."

" _This_ is something I really like," Kurt said before sucking a trail down Blaine's neck.

"Jesus. You're insatiable."

"You love it. I promise we'll talk after. Now let me rock your world."

* * *

Blaine's world was thoroughly rocked. He couldn't stop staring at Kurt with a goofy smile on his face, and he didn't even care.

"I'm so…" he couldn't find the words to describe the mixture of love, satisfaction, happiness, and awe that he was feeling, so he trailed off.

"I know. Me too," Kurt assured him, pushing himself up onto his elbow to look at Blaine. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh!" Blaine exclaimed, as if he had forgotten. He probably had, actually. His brain tended to get very fuzzy where Kurt and his body were concerned. He cleared his throat and began. "You know as well as I do that we don't get to spend enough time with each other these days. It's really unavoidable in my job, but when I'm home, I want you to be home."

Kurt nodded. "We talked about this. We agreed that we're both okay with it. That's why I decided to close my shop on Sundays. I mean, I miss you, but that's the nature of what we do, Blaine."

"I know that. Just let me be selfish for a minute."

"Go on," Kurt smiled. When Blaine asked to be selfish, it usually paid off majorly for him, too.

"Now hear me out, because this is one of those things that you're going to reject on instinct, but when you really think about it, you'll like the idea—"

"Blaine! Just get to the point!" Kurt tackled him against the mattress with a laugh and placed an open-mouthed kiss on his chest.

Blaine giggled like a child and wrapped his arms around Kurt lovingly. "I think we should get you a personal assistant."

Kurt did not react at first. Since the opening of his store, he had hired one staff member to help him run the front of the store, and others to make replicas of the clothes he had designed. But a personal assistant...that would really cut down the time he needed to spend working. He could send an assistant out to purchase fabrics and supplies, to run his payroll, and even to deliver meals to the Low Class communities they supported. He had to admit that Blaine had a point.

"You know...I think you're right."

"What?" Blaine's head shot up.

"I said, you're right."

"Say it again. Just one more time."

Kurt smirked. "You're right, Blaine. You're the most brilliant man in all the land and nobody in history has ever been more correct than you."

"Shut it," Blaine flicked his arm playfully. "You really think it's a good idea?"

"It's never a bad idea for us to spend more time together." Kurt gave him another kiss to prove his point.

"Mmm, that's so true," Blaine groaned. He ran his hand down Kurt's side. "The majority of our relationship has been and one big, hectic, neverending adventure. I feel like things are finally starting to slow down for us—"

"Don't say that! You've just jinxed us!" Kurt flopped defeatedly onto Blaine's chest again.

"There's no such thing as—"

"Jinxed! Just you wait. We already attract the insanity, Blaine, we don't need any help in that area!"

"Okay, you're right, but all of the crazy just makes me love you more."

Kurt absently traced the scars on his own back. "It does show us just how far we would go for each other, doesn't it?"

"To the ends of the earth," Blaine vowed.

"To the ends of the earth."

* * *

Five people crowded around a table scattered with notes, chattering excitedly, purple wristbands displayed proudly below their sleeves.

"Our objective is simple," one man stood before the others. "Return society to the traditional Class system."

"How do you propose we do that?" another man asked.

"The solution is twofold. Our men in the lab are days away from developing a serum that, when injected, has the capability to erase a person's recent memories." A murmur ran through the room. "We can all agree that the number of people coming forward in support of the Resistance is shocking. If we can locate them and administer the injection, we can reprogram them to believe in traditionalism once again."

"And what's the second part?" A woman asked.

"We can't do much of anything with the current leadership. We need to take down Blaine Anderson."

"How?"

"We strike him in his Achilles' Heel."

"His boyfriend?"

The leader nodded.

"But that angle has been played before."

"That's because it's the most effective strategy. He's weakest when it comes to that boy, if we control Hummel, we control Anderson." The group nodded in agreement. "Now. Our plan is this…"

* * *

Blaine whistled to himself as he headed back to his office to finish up some paperwork before he headed home for the evening. It was their chef's night off, which meant Kurt was cooking, and his stomach was looking very forward to it.

He couldn't help that he smiled every time he thought of his boyfriend. Kurt was amazing, and their life together was amazing. They were actually accomplishing their dreams, and were able to do it side by side, something neither had thought would be possible. Yes, Blaine sighed. Life was good.

Just thinking about it made him eager to be home as soon as possible. He decided decided to forget about the work he had left and just go home to Kurt, he just needed to grab his jacket.

Upon opening the door to his office, Blaine gasped and staggered back a step. Atop his desk sat a long-stemmed rose dyed entirely in black.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yes, I realize memory doesn't work like that. Let me have this one. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

 _ **Resistance Times**_

 _ **Chancellor Blaine Anderson: The Revolution We Needed**_

 _Massive changes have rocked our country over the past year, thanks, in big part, to our new Chancellor. He, with the help of his new council, is working to make our world a better place._

 _ **What has he accomplished so far?**_

 _-Replacing the council so that members represent a variety of ages, races, genders, and Classes._

 _-Eliminating the income limit for each Class._

 _-Reversing the ban on restricted activities._

 _-Erasing the interclass communication laws._

 _-Allowing all Classes to apply for university._

 _-Changing the procedure for Class ascent/descent by providing clear guidelines._

 _ **What comes next?**_

 _-Making interclass marriage a possibility._

 _-Reducing costs of university so education is possible for all._

 _-Removing Class wristbands._

 _-Integrating Low, Middle, and High Class communities._

 _Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the Resistance, Blaine Anderson is the hero we asked for, and he is certainly delivering._

* * *

Blaine woke with a start, dragging himself out of his nightmare. He was breathing erratically and sweating, scared to death, yet frozen in place.

It was always the same. In the dream, Kurt was torn from Blaine's arms by faceless figures and taken away while he watched, unable to move or scream for help. Blaine awoke, paralyzed and panting, every time, terrified out of his mind and _needing_ to see Kurt to make sure that he was okay.

Kurt, upon finding out about the nightmares, had once vowed that Blaine would never wake up alone. As if he could sense Blaine's distress now, even in his sleep, he rolled over and nestled into Blaine's arms, breaking the paralysis, and calming his breathing down to a normal rate.

Blaine held him tight, whispering how much he loved him, and how he would never let anything happen to him. Not if he could help it.

* * *

"This is impossible!" Kurt threw up his hands in defeat. He had been staring at hundreds of applications for the position of his assistant for an hour and was no closer to finding an appropriate candidate.

"What's impossible?"

Kurt jumped at the sound of Wes' voice at his office door. "What are you doing here?"

"Blaine got your SOS text and thought you could use my help." He grinned.

"Oh my god, you're the best ever. Look at all of these! I didn't even put my name on the job posting, but somehow, word got out that it was for my assistant, and I've had hundreds of applicants. Most of these people don't even know the first thing about fashion. I need to sort through and find a few people I think could be right for the job."

It was like a switch flipped, and Wes went into turbo mode. Within fifteen minutes, he and Kurt had sorted the applications into three piles: absolutely, if everyone else falls through, and no chance in hell. They recycled the no chance in hell pile (though Kurt wanted to burn it). Another hour later, and Kurt was calling the top five candidates to schedule interviews.

"Thank you so much, Wes. Can we just clone you and hire your clone as my assistant?"

Wes laughed. "I don't know anything about fashion."

Kurt appraised his outfit, frowning slightly. "Mm. I know."

"Hey! Watch it! Don't forget that I know things about you and Blaine that you wouldn't want anyone else knowing."

Kurt chuckled. "Fair enough. And sorry about what happened in the car last night, by the way. Sometimes we just get carried away with each other."

"Thanks. I was trying to block that out," Wes groaned, remembering. "You're really lucky I love you guys. Now go home to that waiting boyfriend of yours, and I will be staying far, far away."

* * *

Friday night dinners were now a staple in the Anderson/Hummel household. At the very least, Kurt, Blaine, Wes, and Burt typically ate together after work, but Cooper and his family, Sam, Renna, and a few stragglers here and there joined them whenever they were available.

That evening, though, it was only Kurt, Blaine, and Burt around the table, chatting about the new car Blaine wanted Kurt to buy.

"I don't even have my license yet, Blaine, let's slow down just a little."

"Yeah, but think about how _fast_ we could go," Blaine's eyes were far off and dreamy.

"It _would_ be fun," Kurt conceded, then launched into a comparison of the engine options, leading Burt to chuckle and mutter "you're my son, all right."

The chef brought in dessert just then, smelling of delicious, fresh raspberries.

"Thank you, Anthony," Blaine and Kurt said in unison.

"You're welcome, Chancellor Anderson, Misters Hummel."

"I hate being called that," Blaine lamented as Anthony exited the room. "All it does is remind me that I have this irreversible connection to the man who calls himself my father."

"Ya know there's something you could do about that…" Burt looked suggestively between Kurt and Blaine.

"No, Dad," Kurt spoke up. "I could never ask Blaine to give up his name to take mine. _When the day comes,"_ he added for emphasis, shooting his father a harsh glare.

But Blaine was looking at Kurt and biting his bottom lip nervously.

"What, Blaine?"

"I...I want that."

" _What?!"_ Kurt nearly spat out his drink.

Blaine took his hands. "Did you know that Cooper took Alyssa's name when they married? He's not an Anderson anymore. When the time comes, I'd like to take your name. I love everything the name Hummel stands for. I'd love nothing more than to be Blaine Hummel."

Kurt could feel that his mouth was hanging open, and barely noticed when Burt excused himself from the table to give them a moment alone.

"You—really?" Kurt asked, still in disbelief.

"Does that freak you out? Is it too much?"

"No, it's...god, it's everything, Blaine."

Blaine saw him mouthing _Kurt and Blaine Hummel_ under his breath and smiled contentedly.

"Good. I know that marriage isn't in the cards for us for right now, but I do think about it a lot, you know. Being your husband."

Kurt's heart melted. He kissed Blaine softly, then they sat, Kurt's hand cupping Blaine's jaw, staring lovingly at each other until they heard shuffling footsteps behind them.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna go," Burt said with a grin as he sidled past the dining room.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kurt laughed embarrassedly, dropping his hand from Blaine's face. "I forgot you were here for a minute."

"Tends to happen when Blaine's around, doesn't it? It's alright, kiddo. Sounds like nothing compared to what Wes had to witness the other night."

"I can't believe he told you about that!" Kurt's cheeks burned.

"Good night!" Burt gave a little wave and a smirk.

"Fire Wes," Kurt commanded Blaine, sinking his head into his hands.

"I've tried before. He just won't leave."

* * *

"Your résumé states that you completed an internship with Ralph Lauren. That's amazing. Tell me more about it!" Kurt urged the nervous looking girl who was his first interviewee.

"Uhh...it was...good?"

Kurt frowned. "What were your responsibilities?"

"Getting coffee. And things?"

Kurt set down the papers he held and sighed. "You didn't really intern with Ralph Lauren, did you?"

She shook her head, looking down at her feet.

 _Damn,_ Kurt thought. Her résumé had been the most promising of all.

"Well, thanks for coming in today, but I'm afraid I won't be able to offer you the position."

The next three interviews went similarly, the girls either exaggerating their experience or proving to be completely incompetent at answering the simplest of questions. ( _Why do you want to work for me?_ You're dating the Chancellor!) ( _Would you be willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement?_ What? I couldn't tell anyone about your life?! What good is working for someone famous if you can't dish the gossip?)

With his hopes all but dashed, Kurt called in the last candidate, eyes widening slightly at how handsome and well-dressed the man was.

"Hi, you must be Chase," Kurt held out his hand to shake.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Hummel. I've been a huge fan of your work since your days in the market."

"Wow, thank you. Have a seat and tell me a little bit about your previous experience."

Chase obliged, launching into a description of his time at a nearby university studying fashion history as a minor, and his former position as a personal assistant for a mayor of a High Class town.

By the end, Kurt was thoroughly impressed. He shook Chase's hand once more, completely missing the deviously satisified grin from the other man, and scurried home to tell Blaine about his day.

* * *

Blaine was close to pulling out his own hair. A black rose hung upside down in his office window — the third he had found this week. At first he had tried to ignore them, brush them off as nothing. But now...it was clear the roses were deliberate, meant for him and him alone, and they felt somehow ominous, like some kind of warning. What did it mean? Were they even real, or was he losing it?

He pulled the rose down and held it between his fingers, twirling it around in an inspection before dropping it into the trash can. The black paint was soft and powdery, and when Blaine looked at his hands, his fingers were covered in black.

Slipping away to the restroom, Blaine scrubbed his hands until they were bright red and devoid of any black paint, breath catching in gasps as he tried to maintain the slipping hold he had on himself. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, slid his hands into his pockets, and left to go home, ignoring any work he had left to do. Only one person could put his mind totally at ease.

Blaine was not sure why he hadn't told Kurt about the roses, even though he would undoubtedly feel less insane if he shared it with him. Maybe he didn't want to scare Kurt unnecessarily before he knew what the roses were really about. Or maybe this was one thing Blaine could do to protect Kurt, something he had failed to do so many times before. Perhaps he simply wanted to preserve the calm happiness that had taken over their lives of late.

Still spinning these thoughts around in his mind while simultaneously telling himself that he wasn't imagining things, Blaine walked through the front door and was greeted by Kurt, who must have just arrived home as well and was removing his shoes.

"Hey, baby," Blaine wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and buried his face in his neck, breathing in the soothing and familiar scent, feeling the tension fade away for the first time since he'd left home that morning.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked, sounding genuinely concerned as he toed off his other shoe without moving his arms from around Blaine's neck.

"I just really missed you today," he admitted after a brief pause.

"Tell you what. I need to get some sketches done tonight, but I can spare an hour or so for a hot bath first." Kurt smiled as Blaine began stripping off his clothes in the entryway, clearly eager to take Kurt up on that bath.

Once settled and letting the lavender scented bubbles pop against their bodies, Kurt leaned back against Blaine's chest.

"This is what I've been needing all day," Kurt sighed.

"How were your interviews today?" Blaine asked.

"The first four were horrible. A bunch of young girls who really just wanted to work for your boyfriend."

"Ugh. I'm sorry," Blaine rubbed Kurt's shoulders in apology.

"It's not your fault," Kurt waved him off. "The last one was actually great, though. He's definitely the one I'm going to hire. He has experience in being an assistant _and_ in fashion. He was really nice, too. I think you'd like him."

Blaine's fingers had stilled on his shoulders. "Him?"

Kurt nodded. "Guys can know things about fashion too, Blaine," he joked.

"I know that. It's just...he's a young guy who's into fashion. Is he gay?"

Kurt huffed in annoyance. "That doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with Chase's ability to do his job."

"Unless he comes on to you," Blaine pouted.

There were times when Kurt liked jealous Blaine, but he had no patience for it now. Not with this. "I should point out that your assistant is a man."

"And I should point out that you wondered if he was my boyfriend."

"I was in a very vulnerable position at that time!" Kurt defended himself.

"Plus, it's _Wes._ I've known him since I was fourteen. And he's straight. We don't know anything about this Chase guy."

Kurt stopped himself from biting back a retort. He counted to ten before responding calmly. "I would love it if we didn't talk about other guys while I'm in the bathtub with the love of my life."

He felt Blaine's stomach clench. "That's right, Blaine. You're the _only_ one I love. The only one I can imagine sharing my life with. So get over it," he giggled as he poked Blaine's thigh.

"Okay, you're right. I'm being ridiculous." He kissed Kurt's tattoo.

"You know, our anniversary is coming up…"

Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt's waist. "I know. I have something special planned."

"You do?!" Kurt's eyes lit up like a child in a candy store.

"Of course I do. This last year has been the craziest but most fulfilling, and by far the happiest of my entire life. You have brought me everything I ever wanted, and so much more that I didn't even know I could ask for. God, Kurt, you think I'd miss a chance to show you how much that means to me? To celebrate you and me and what we have together?"

Kurt craned his neck to look at Blaine over his shoulder, emotion written all over his face.

"Yes, I should have known better. You treat me like a prince, Blaine. I'm the luckiest man in the world."

"You deserve nothing but the best. I would spend every damn day making sure you got it."

Kurt swiveled his body around to straddle Blaine. "That's beautiful, but what do you say we move this love fest to the bed so _you_ can get lucky?"

Blaine moved so fast that it startled Kurt, picking him up and carrying him to the bedroom with an excited grin on his face. "Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Minor character death in this chapter. Like, minor minor, but a character nonetheless. Also smut. ;) xo**

 _ **Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Three**

"Test number one of serum A3902."

A sterile-looking woman in a white coat raised a shiny syringe with her gloved hand. The unwilling patient in front of her struggled against his restraints, muffled screams and desperate tears pouring from him.

The researcher sneered as she reached forward, swabbing the man's tensed arm. "The Resistance is futile. We were not born Classless, and we will not die Classless." The needle pushed in, filling the subject with the memory erasing substance, its dispenser hopeful that it would produce the desired effects.

She stepped back, disposing of the syringe, and watching the man carefully. He went slack against the ropes that bound him, eyes falling shut. An expectant smile touched the scientist's lips.

"David Brower. Tell me what year it is," she prompted, removing the gag from around his face.

He did not respond, but his eyes opened slowly and focused on her, giving nothing away.

"What do you think of the current Chancellor, Blaine Anderson?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but his body jerked in the chair, seizing violently. The research team stood around and watched lazily while the man's body betrayed him, shaking and spasming until it came to a complete stop, the life seeping out of him.

"Remove him," the researcher called to another staff member. "Test one of serum A3902 failed. Return to the lab."

* * *

Kurt's first morning with an assistant was going amazingly well. He was finding it easier to delegate his responsibilities than he had thought, and at the rate they were going, he would be finished with his work for the day by noon. Chase was a hard worker, and he was good company as well. He had that sarcastic humor Kurt enjoyed so much.

They chatted away as they worked, Kurt sketching a new line, Chase working out the finances.

"Tell me about your family," Kurt said, eager to get to know him better.

"Well, I have an older sister who is a physician out in Utah, and my mother has gone back home to the Dominican where her family is from. She and my father split when I was young, and she was forced out of our High Class status, so she left the country. My sister and I were raised by our father and stepmother."

"What about your father?"

Chase's eyes shifted slightly. "He's...not around anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my mother when I was young."

"And the rest of your family?" Chase asked, looking intently across the desk.

Kurt set his pencil down, smiling. "Well there's my dad. He's the best guy. But I'm sure you've heard about him, since he's on the Council now. He's my only living blood relative, but I have a few friends who are like family, and then, of course, I have Blaine. He's…" Kurt's cheeks flushed thinking about his love for his boyfriend. "He's amazing. You know it was his idea for me to hire an assistant?"

Chase frowned. "So he makes all of the decisions for you?"

Kurt's defenses raised, and his demeanor turned stony immediately.

"No, actually, we are equals in everything that we do." He blinked at Chase, challenging him.

"Are you really, though?" Chase scoffed, shooting a glance down at Kurt's yellow wristband.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kurt pushed his chair back from his desk to put some space between himself and Chase. "Are you insinuating that the Class I was born into somehow makes me less than Blaine? I do not tolerate prejudice in my workplace or personal life, and I will not hesitate to let you go, no matter how well this is going."

Chase shook his head vehemently. "No, no, Kurt, I was just saying that the laws still make it impossible for you two to be complete equals. That's all. I'm working for you and I wear a purple band, don't I? Does that make me better than you? No. But it means that society will afford me certain perks that you won't be offered. It might be wrong, but that's how it is."

Kurt sighed, scooting his chair back up to the desk and letting his guard down slightly. "I'm sorry I accused you of that, Chase. You have to understand my background and what I've had to deal with. I can't afford to be relaxed about things like that."

Chase smiled, accepting the apology. "I get it. I'm sorry you've had to deal with it in the past just because of the way things are."

"Me too, but Blaine is working on it."

"I can see how much you love Blaine. It's written all over your face. I get it. He's hot and powerful and seems like a really good person," Chase commented.

Kurt smiled, but his possessiveness flared. "He is. Among other things. A million other things. But Chase?"

"Yes?"

"You've not earned the privilege to call him Blaine. He's Chancellor Anderson to you."

* * *

Things with Chase had only improved since then. He did not reference Kurt's relationship or Class differences again. Over the few days since he had hired him, Kurt and Chase were actually becoming good friends. Occasionally, Chase made a comment or gesture that was vaguely flirty, but Kurt ignored them, and hoped to discourage him.

A week after Chase started his position, he and Kurt were to meet up with Blaine and Wes for lunch. Blaine had been dying to meet Chase, especially since Kurt told him about their conversation on that first day.

"Kurt," Chase, who had sat next to Kurt instead of across from him, said, reaching over and touching him on the arm. "I just want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for you. I have learned so much this week, and I'm really enjoying myself."

Chase leaned in as he spoke.

A few clicks of cameras sounded from nearby and Kurt turned sharply toward them. "Oh, give it up!" he called out.

Blaine sauntered up, then, flanked by Wes.

He took in the contact between his boyfriend and Chase and grabbed Chase's hand right off of Kurt's arm to shake it.

"Hi, Chase. It's nice to meet you. I'm Blaine, this is Wes."

Chase's eyes were wide as they took in Blaine. "It's an honor to meet you, Chancellor Anderson."

Blaine laughed to himself, remembering Kurt's retelling of his disagreement with Chase about how to refer to Blaine. He then rounded the table and pulled Kurt up and out of his seat and into his arms, planting a big, wet kiss on his lips, and reseating him on the booth side of the table, opposite Chase. Kurt smiled smugly and kept an arm around Blaine's neck, toying idly with a stray curl at the base of his hairline.

Wes was barely holding back his laughter as he watched Blaine's show of jealousy and possessiveness. This lunch was going to be fun.

* * *

Between Blaine's abnormal handsiness, Wes' expressions, and the pleasant conversation between the four men seated around the restaurant table, Kurt could not keep the smile off his face. Lunch had been so successful, and despite the ridiculous but laughable territory marking, Blaine and Chase seemed to be getting along quite well.

As they left the restaurant, Kurt and Blaine sent Wes and Chase ahead so they could have a moment to themselves.

"That went well," Kurt preened, stroking Blaine's bicep.

"I can't stand him," Blaine growled back.

"Chase?" Kurt asked, shocked. "I thought you two were getting along."

Blaine ran a hand through his hair and shifted his weight. He was more fidgety than normal, and it was clear that there was something he wasn't telling Kurt.

"He likes you," was Blaine's lame explanation, but Kurt knew that wasn't all.

"I don't care about that. What's really going on?"

Blaine's nervous eyes locked on Kurt's. "Just...don't give him the security code for our property, okay?"

Whatever it was that Blaine was so worked up about, it was obviously bothering him immensely.

"Have you felt unsafe lately?" Kurt's voice was soothing, worried.

Blaine shrugged. "Just paranoid, I guess."

"Well you're right," Kurt kissed the tip of Blaine's nose. "He doesn't need access to our house or clearance for your workplace. Our safety always needs to come first."

"Love you so much," Blaine whispered as he hugged Kurt goodbye. "See you at home tonight."

* * *

The morning of Blaine and Kurt's anniversary dawned, and Kurt found himself waking up to sloppy kisses from Blaine instead of his alarm, like he had expected.

"Good morning," he mumbled happily against Blaine's face. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"It's the anniversary of the first time we kissed. That was the beginning of _us._ You think I'd let you work today?"

"What are we going to do instead?" Kurt asked curiously. He'd been trying to get the plans out of Blaine for weeks now.

Blaine held up a set of tickets. "We're going to Broadway."

Kurt stared dumbly back at his boyfriend before bursting into an ear splitting shriek as he bounced up and down on the bed.

"Blaine, you—really?"

Blaine nodded and laughed as the tickets were snatched out of his fingers and inspected before Kurt threw them on the nightstand in favor of smothering Blaine.

"Get up and get packed, crazy. Our flight leaves at noon."

He made a mental note to buy himself earplugs before the next time he surprised Kurt with something like a trip to New York. And there would be a next time, because the look on his boyfriend's face was absolutely priceless.

* * *

Kurt's first time on a plane had been amazing. His _first time_ on a plane had been as well.

New York City was beyond his wildest expectations, Broadway being the most magical of all. Things like Class status didn't seem to matter so much in a city like that, a city where so many people were pretending to be someone else.

The one downside to the city was that there seemed to be swarms of paparazzi everywhere they went. It wasn't so bad, though, and between dinner and the show, they even posed for some photographs.

Tired of the attention, Blaine suggested that after the musical they go for a walk somewhere quieter, where there were no cameras. He had their driver take them to a quaint park far away from the city center.

Blaine, the perfect gentleman, opened the door for Kurt and helped him out of the car. He looped his arm through Kurt's and they began to walk.

"Kurt," Blaine began when they were partway down the path. He had stopped walking and was holding both of Kurt's hands in his.

 _This is it,_ Kurt thought in a daze. _He's proposing._ He had sort of been preparing himself for this moment all day. After all, he knew Blaine had the ring, and what better time to propose than on their anniversary in New York City? He was still apprehensive about marrying so young, but it was Blaine, and Blaine would always take care of him. Always. The _Yes_ was on the tip of his tongue already. Besides, being engaged did not mean that marriage had to follow immediately.

Blaine's face shone brilliantly as he regarded Kurt. "You've changed me. I always knew there was a future for me, but I never imagined it could be like this. I thought I'd have a relationship like my parents do, loving, but unequal and totally dysfunctional. I thought I'd be stuck working for my father, going through the motions and not really caring about anything. I thought I'd be surrounded by people, but still lonely.

"When you came into my life, the world twisted and turned until everything was upside down, but I know now that the way I was living before was what was upside down. You made me realize that I am passionate about what I do, that I can be _happy_. You've shown me that love and relationships aren't at all what I thought they were, that I can love you with all my heart and you can return the feelings, that we can build each other up and never fail each other. You _are_ love, Kurt. You _are_ passion. And I am so, so happy that you are mine."

A tear fell from Kurt's lashes as Kurt reached for him, cradling his face. "Every day I think I can't love you more, and then you go and say things like that and I swear my heart grows to make more room for you."

This was the moment. The pause before the most important question of his life. But Blaine did not fall to one knee like Kurt expected. He just continued staring into Kurt's eyes like he held the answers to everything. And for Blaine, he did.

 _Maybe he's not proposing. Leave it to Blaine to make a speech like that just for the hell of it._

"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Kurt held his breath.

"Yes."

 _This is it,_ he thought again. He braced himself.

"Will you go back to the hotel with me and make love to me all night long?"

Kurt threw his head back with laughter. "Yes. Yes, of course I will."

* * *

The car had been on the road for no more than two minutes before Kurt muttered, "I can't keep my hands off you," and launched at Blaine across the back seat as effectively as he could while restrained by his seatbelt.

In seconds, Blaine's bow tie was hanging loosely around his neck and the top four buttons on his shirt were popped open, and Kurt was sucking at the skin on his neck and chest.

"Oh, fuck it," Kurt growled, unbuckling his seatbelt and swiftly straddling Blaine's hips. Blaine clutched onto his ass straight away, fingertips urging him closer as they kissed with a sense of necessity.

" _Kurt_." The name fell from his lips sounding like a prayer, and Blaine realized it might have been. If there was one thing he believed in, it was Kurt.

"You look so beautiful like this," Kurt whispered back against his mouth, trailing his fingers along the side of Blaine's face.

"Like what? Debauched in the backseat of a car?" Blaine asked with a smirk.

"No, like strung out and _wanting."_

Blaine made an animalistic sound in the back of his throat and pulled Kurt back to his face for another kiss. His hands tugged and tore at Kurt's shirt until it was untucked from his pants, then they slid easily up his lower back, feeling the delicious flex of muscle as Kurt's hips pitched forward.

In their lusty delirium, neither one realized that the car had come to a stop, so the lowering of the partition between the front and back of the vehicle made them jump.

"We've arrived at your hotel, gentlemen."

"We need to get one of those dividers for our car," Blaine mumbled absently as Kurt dragged him from the car, tossing thanks over his shoulder at the driver.

Kurt and Blaine, standing on the sidewalk, took one look at each other in all their disheveled glory and reached an unspoken agreement that if they did not head to their room immediately, the poor, unsuspecting public would be in for quite a show. So they raced up to their room, where Kurt had to swipe the key card multiple times before it worked.

He didn't even check to make sure the door closed behind him because Blaine had started to strip teasingly out of his clothes, scattering the parts of his perfectly tailored suit on the floor.

With a quirked eyebrow, Blaine, now entirely nude, snagged the bottle of lube from the top of his bag and bent himself over the desk, looking over his shoulder at Kurt pleadingly.

Kurt groaned at seeing Blaine completely on display for him like that. He had his shirt off seconds later and crossed the room in a few long strides. Instead of reaching for the lube like Blaine expected, though, Kurt fell to his knees behind him and ran his hands up the back of his thighs. His lips followed, kissing a line up the sensitive skin of Blaine's legs until he reached the crease where his ass began.

Kurt held Blaine open and leaned his face forward eagerly.

"Kurt, what are you? _Oh hell!"_ Blaine half-screamed, half-moaned as Kurt's tongue placed its first kitten lick across his hole. "This is new for us and— _fuck—_ okay, let's never stop."

Kurt grinned momentarily, then, growing bolder after hearing Blaine's reaction, went all in, tasting Blaine's fluttering opening over and over again.

Blaine whined above him, more desperate than Kurt had ever seen, clenching and unclenching his fists that were splayed out over his head. Blaine seemed to be opening for him, so he tensed his tongue and pushed it in. Blaine lost all control then, releasing a nearly incoherent string of curses as Kurt's tongue fucked into him.

"Kurt, Kurt Kurt Kurt Kurt, stop," Blaine whimpered. "Get in me right now."

Grabbing the lube this time, Kurt stood, keeping one finger massaging across Blaine's entrance as he expertly shucked off his pants single-handedly.

He made quick work of opening Blaine the rest of the way before he slicked himself up and was pressing in and driving home.

"Blaine, _oh my god,"_ he breathed once inside.

"I know." Blaine felt Kurt's hands exploring his back and chanced a look back, only to be rewarded greatly. Kurt was leaning over his body, eyes closed in pure bliss, lips parted in ecstasy, giving over to the instincts of his body as they rocked against each other.

Kurt's fingers danced up Blaine's back to hook over his shoulders for leverage, and then they were moving hard and fast, at the complete mercy of their bodies, whining grunts whirling in the space between them every time Kurt pushed in.

Blaine reached blindly for Kurt's hands, which were offered to him after Kurt realized what it was he wanted. Kurt draped over Blaine's back, hands extended forward on the desk and wrapped around Blaine's wrists. He sucked at Blaine's tattoo on his shoulder, growling as he did so, and Blaine keened underneath him.

"Close," was the only intelligible word Kurt could breathe out against the mark he'd made on his boyfriend. He released one of Blaine's hands to reach for his cock instead, hand flying along Blaine's length as he brought them both to their orgasms.

"Shit, _Blaine,_ " Kurt let go first, teeth sinking into Blaine's back to channel the force that wracked his body.

"Come for me," Kurt whispered, twisting his hand in a move that drove Blaine crazy.

"Yes, yes, _yes,"_ the last sound of the word was elongated in a desperate hiss. Blaine's back arched and his fingers that were still intertwined with Kurt's gripped tightly as he came. "Holy shit, Kurt." There was that worshipful tone to his name again. "My legs…"

Kurt understood. He let himself slide out of Blaine and steered them both to the bed, where they collapsed together in a heap of glistening, trembling limbs.

"That was something else," Blaine commented. He was stretched out luxuriously along Kurt's body, which formed to his perfectly.

"So you liked it?" Kurt asked, nerves creeping in.

"Yeah, you could say that. But what the hell, Kurt? How long have you been wanting to rim me?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while," Kurt admitted.

"Well next time you want to try something, don't wait. Please. My body is all yours. And if all your ideas are like that? Brilliant."

Kurt nuzzled, satisfied, into Blaine's side.

"I can't always find the words to tell you what you mean to me like you can, but goddamnit, Blaine, I love every single part of you."

"As I do, you," Blaine reciprocated.

They continued to snuggle like that until Blaine demanded that Kurt let him go so he could wash the come off his stomach.

"I promise I'll be right back," he said with a wink. Blaine walked toward the bathroom, giving his ass a little shake for Kurt, who chuckled.

Blaine turned on the bathroom light and his heart stopped, for there, placed delicately in the sink, was a black rose.

When he unfroze he slammed the door in a panic, cutting Kurt off from view of the bathroom. He leaned over the sink, closing his eyes and chest heaving, fingers gripping the edge of the counter so tightly they could have made a dent in the granite.

How could it be here? Who could have known and brought one of these abominations into his hotel room in New York City? A spike of intense fear speared through his core. This was worse than he initially thought. Blaine suddenly feared for his life.

Hands shaking uncontrollably, he stuffed the rose into the small trash can and tied the bag off. He would take it out to the dumpster at the soonest possible opportunity. He ran the hottest water the tap could put out and let it scald his hands, removing all traces of black.

"Blaine? You okay in there?" Kurt asked tentatively from the other side of the door.

He couldn't ruin this perfect day for Kurt. He wouldn't. "Y—Yeah. I'll be out in a second."

When he couldn't put it off any longer, Blaine re-entered the room, knowing Kurt would instantly know that something was wrong.

As predicted, Kurt looked at him with concern.

"What—?"

"It's nothing. The water was too hot and it burned my hands, that's all. It's nothing," he repeated, knowing that it was anything but nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

 _ **Dalton Academy Teacher Missing, Presumed Dead**_

 _Beloved Class Studies instructor, David Brower, has been reported missing from his home. Authorities have investigated the scene and believe that violence was involved, leading to the conclusion that he may have been taken forcefully. No contact has been made with Brower in weeks, and circumstances indicate that he is likely dead. A candlelight vigil will be held Friday, 7:00pm in the Dalton Academy courtyard._

* * *

 _ **Kurt Hummel's New Beau?**_

 _Check out the new pictures of Kurt Hummel hanging about town with a new and very yummy man! At least one source reports that this new mystery man is Hummel's assistant, but photographic evidence points to a budding romance. Watch out, Blaine Anderson, it looks like Hummel is moving on!_

* * *

"'Morning, Kurt," Chase called cheerily from where he leaned against the shop.

"Good morning," Kurt said, unlocking the door to the building. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Just a few minutes. But you know I could get things opened up before you even arrive in the morning if you'd give me a key…"

Kurt bit his lip. "Sorry, Chase. You have to understand that Blaine and I can't have extra keys out there, no matter how great of an employee you are. I can always have Wes come unlock the doors for you if you'd like to come earlier in the mornings?"

"No, it's okay. I'm just giving you a hard time. It must be tricky to be with someone like Blaine. There are a lot of people out there who don't like what he's doing. Aren't you ever scared?"

"Yeah, Blaine's actually been…" he stopped himself from sharing how Blaine had been acting. Chase had proven to be a wonderful assistant, and Kurt could trust him with anything work-related, but he wasn't ready to get that personal yet, especially when he remembered how wary Blaine was of Chase. They had asked their security team to run a background check on this Chase Patterson who had been a stranger when they first hired him, and everything had checked out. Kurt tried to tell Blaine everything was fine, but he was still unsure.

Blaine. He'd been acting so strange lately. Every little noise or unexpected movement made him jump, and he hadn't been sleeping much at night, and his tossing and turning kept Kurt up as well. Whatever it was that was plaguing him, Blaine wasn't ready to tell Kurt yet. Kurt promised himself that if this went on much longer, he'd sit Blaine down and drag it out of him. It was frustrating that Blaine wouldn't tell him what the problem was, but for now, he'd stand by and be as supportive and comforting as he could without knowing what the problem was. As Chancellor, there was so much pressure on Blaine, and Kurt would do anything possible to keep him from collapsing under the weight.

"Kurt?"

"Huh?" Kurt looked up. He had somehow made it to his desk, sat down, and pulled out sketches without realizing what he was doing. Chase was standing over him (very closely and smelling of amazing cologne), clearly waiting for a response to something he had said.

"I said these look fantastic. You're the most talented young designer around. Is everything okay? You seem a little out of it," Chase said, concern etched on his face as he laid a hand over Kurt's.

Kurt looked down to their joined hands then back up at him with a surprised expression. Here was Chase, asking him to talk, when Blaine refused to open up at all.

He opened his mouth and shut it right away, realizing how ridiculous he was to even consider confiding in Chase about his concerns about Blaine.

Kurt pulled his hand out from under Chase's with a polite smile. "Everything is okay, Chase. Thanks for asking. You know what? I forgot to give something to Blaine this morning, so as soon as Jessica gets here we can open up and then I'll take off. Can you start inventory while I'm gone? I'll be back in about an hour."

* * *

"Kurt! What are you doing here?" Blaine jumped excitedly out of his chair to hug him.

Kurt ignored the question, squeezing him tightly. "How much time do you have?" He pushed Blaine back down into the chair.

"About twenty minutes before my next meeting," Blaine's voice was high and excited at the mischievous look on Kurt's face.

"Good. Open your pants, sit back, and relax."

* * *

"You're amazing," Blaine cooed as he cuddled Kurt to his chest.

"And you're going to be late to your meeting. Wes will walk in on us if you don't get going."

"Let him. We're decent."

"Sort of," Kurt laughed, gesturing to his position astride Blaine's lap and his unkempt hair that had been wildly pulled just ten minutes before.

On cue, Blaine's office door creaked open and Wes groaned. "Do you two _ever_ stop?!"

The sound of Burt's hearty laugh floated through the air from somewhere beyond Wes as he passed by.

"Give me a minute, Wes," Blaine requested.

"No, it's good that both of you are here, actually. You need to hear this. Come on in, Morgan." Blaine's head of security stepped in the door.

"What is it?" Kurt straightened out and grabbed Blaine's hand in preparation. The tone of Wes' voice had indicated that whatever news he had to share was not good news.

"We found Brower's body."

"No!" Kurt gasped, covering his mouth with his hand while Blaine squeezed him to his side.

Morgan looked down sadly. "There were traces of an unknown poison in his blood. The investigation is already underway. I'll keep you informed of any updates, Chancellor." He backed out of the room slowly to allow Kurt and Blaine some privacy.

Wes started to leave as well, but Blaine called for him.

"Wes? Is the vigil at Dalton still happening tomorrow?"

"Yes. Should I arrange for the two of you to be there?"

"We wouldn't miss it," Kurt confirmed.

* * *

"It feels so weird to be here," Blaine whispered to Kurt as they walked through the double doors of Dalton Academy.

"Right? Like, under normal circumstances it would be kind of fun to come back, but now...it's just terribly sad."

"Let's go check in with the dean and then head outside."

Kurt led the way to meet with Dean Misner, who greeted them warmly before directing them to a podium in the courtyard, from which Blaine was expected to speak.

The area was swarming with students and staff, both current and former, each holding an unlit candle and having subdued conversations. As they did everywhere he went, eyes flickered to Blaine, doing double and triple takes as people realized that the Chancellor was among them.

At exactly 7:00, the dean stood in front of the crowd to say a few words about the late instructor, then introduced Blaine to a flurry of applause.

"Hello Dalton students, staff, and alumni. I know you were all hoping to hear from your favorite Chancellor tonight," he winked, making many of the students swoon. "But I'd like to defer to someone whose life was influenced by Mr. Brower even more than mine was. Someone whose way with words not only won my loyalty, but my heart as well. Kurt?"

"Thank you," Kurt took the mic and turned to the crowd. "We are all here because Mr. Brower touched us in some way. For me, he was the first authority figure to give me a safe space to explore my beliefs. He asked questions that made me think, and allowed me to voice my opinions without the fear of being told I was wrong. Blaine doesn't know this, but I attribute our partnership to Mr. Brower's class." The crowd whooped and cheered quietly as he blew a kiss at Blaine. "David Brower was a brave, loyal person who deserved more than this horrible fate. Now…" he held up his candle that Blaine had just lit for him. "Let us all light our flames in his memory."

They shared a long moment of silence while the candles burned, lighting up the darkness of the night. Kurt thought about how much he owed to Mr. Brower and regretted that he hadn't told him while he was still alive.

Slowly, people began murmuring and moving, dispersing to their dorms or cars. Many of them stopped to introduce themselves to Blaine, to comment on how inspirational he was, and thank him for what he'd done.

Kurt sat back and watched, preening with pride until a haughty looking woman came up to him.

"Kurt Hummel?"

"That's me." He spun around to face her and shook her outstretched hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I have one question for you," she said with a sickly sweet tone of voice. As he watched, her smile turned to a sneer. "How could you?"

Kurt took a half step back. "Excuse me?"

"How dare you use Chancellor Anderson like you are, you selfish, gold digging piece of trash?"

Kurt, screaming on the inside, maintained his composure on the outside, though he wanted nothing more than to rip her fake blonde hair out. "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? I love Blaine."

The woman's finger jabbed accusingly into his chest. "You love his money and his power. I've seen the pictures of you out and about flirting with other men. You're only using the Chancellor to get what you want. As soon as he gets rid of the Class system, you'll undoubtedly take off, but not before you marry him so you can take all of his money with you."

"You appear to be under some sort of serious delusion," Kurt said calmly. "I have never cared about money. In fact, I ask Blaine not to spend any on me, aside from our business. I refuse to even carry his credit card, for your information. And as far as the Class system, I loved him even before I thought he could have any impact on our political system. So it seems that your assumptions are a little misguided."

At that moment, Blaine appeared at Kurt's elbow, giving a false smile to the woman, whose tough front had faltered.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Kurt and I need to leave. I thank you for your support, but next time you see us, please keep your incorrect accusations to yourself."

Blaine pulled Kurt away from the crowd to walk hand in hand along the edge of the grounds.

Kurt broke the silence after they'd been walking a while.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that. I know some of those things she said are your greatest insecurities. And even though I've assured you a million times how crazy wrong they are, it still must suck to hear them."

Blaine stopped and tugged Kurt into a giant bear hug. " _You're_ sorry? _I'm_ sorry she said those awful things about you. You don't deserve for people to be rude to you just because you're dating me."

"Shut up," Kurt mumbled into his shoulder. "You're worth it."

Blaine smiled and tangled his fingers in the hair at the base of Kurt's neck. "I'm actually very impressed you were so composed when she was going off on you. I definitely thought the good people of Dalton were going to see Kurtie's claws come out."

He felt the vibrations of Kurt's laughter against his chest. "It almost came down to that, honestly. But the only ones who know our lives are us. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"You're so wise. This is why I keep you around," Blaine laughed softly, kissing Kurt on the cheek before finally letting him out of the embrace.

"Do you remember this spot?" Kurt asked as they resumed their walk, motioning to the lake ahead of them.

"How could I ever forget? This is where we got off together for the first time."

"Ha!" Kurt threw his head back and laughed loudly. "I was so nervous to be with you like that, but you were so trusting. And hot." He lightly slapped Blaine's ass. "Wanna check out some of our other special places?"

They visited their picnic spot and Kurt's favorite study spot under the big elm tree before heading indoors to pass by their old dorm rooms, study room, and Class Studies classroom.

"Saved the best for last?" Kurt grinned, excited to see their old hideout again.

"Do you think they've changed it at all now that there are no restricted activities?"

"Maybe made it into a functional recreational room?"

"I kind of hope not," Blaine admitted. "I liked the charm of it before. I liked that we were the only ones who found it useful."

"You know, no matter what, it's not going to be the same."

"Why not?"

"Because you stole the piano for our house."

"I did not steal!" Blaine exclaimed indignantly. "I had permission. Sort of."

"Sure you did," Kurt teased, hand on the doorknob of the room that used to be his and Blaine's nighttime sanctuary. "Ready?"

Blaine nodded.

Much to their surprise and pleasure, the room was exactly as they had left it, minus one piano. Blaine looked around at the broken appliances and things that had not been removed from the room.

"Oh my god," Kurt gasped.

Blaine's head whipped around to see Kurt slowly approaching something small on the ground where the piano used to be. He knelt down and reached out, holding up a black rose. _Shit. Not here. Not now._

"What the hell is this?" Kurt breathed, hesitantly feeling the powdery paint beneath his fingers. His expression was one of fear and revulsion. "Blaine? Do you see this? It's fresh. What the hell does it mean?"

Blaine's head spun and he felt like vomiting. The roses were following him everywhere, and now Kurt had found one. He could not hide the truth anymore; he needed to come clean. As afraid as he was that telling Kurt would somehow make the danger more real, it was strangely relieving to know that Kurt would share his secret now.

"Get rid of it," Blaine told him. "That's what I've done with the other ones."

" _What?!_ " Kurt stood, letting the rose fall to the ground, the black residue staining his palm and fingers.

"I…" Blaine began pacing, avoiding Kurt's eyes all the while. "I've been meaning to tell you. I swear. I just didn't know how."

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest. "You will tell me. Right now."

Blaine dropped to the couch, putting his head in his hands. "It started about a month ago. I found a rose in my office and I had no idea what to make of it. But then they kept showing up. They're the exact same every time. A black rose, no explanation, clearly meant for me to find. I figured at first that they were some sort of ridiculous threat — you know I get angry traditionalists yelling at me all the time. But then New York happened, and I realized this was something much bigger."

"What happened in New York?" Kurt was still attempting to come off as angry and guarded, but fear was creeping in to his voice and posture.

"There was a rose. In the bathroom of our hotel room."

"After…"

"Yeah. After. That was when I knew someone was targeting me, and that they had insider information into my life. How else could they have known about the hotel and New York? How could someone have known about our special place here? Kurt…"

"You've been dealing with this for a month? A _month?_ And you never told me? What, am I too delicate to handle something like this? I've been through hell and back, Blaine. I can handle anything. Or is it that you don't trust me enough? Because I would never—"

"No." Blaine was on his feet, approaching Kurt with arms outstretched. "It was none of that. Jesus, how could you think that? No, Kurt, I was trying to protect you."

"I don't need—"

"I know you don't need protecting. You're the strongest person I know. But I thought if I could figure this out, take care of it by myself, that I could save you from feeling as terrified as I was. Am."

Kurt's resolve crumbled and he opened up. "Blaine…" He held strong as Blaine collapsed into his arms. "God, I love you, but you are such an idiot."

Blaine laughed shakily. "I know. I'm so, so sorry."

Kurt pulled Blaine back to arm's length to look at him. "Listen. We are partners. We share everything. From here on out, no more holding anything back. Deal?"

"Deal." Blaine went in for another hug. Even in the face of something like this, Kurt's arms always felt like the safest place in the world. "What are we going to do?"

"Have you told Morgan yet? The first thing we need to do is amp up your security. Then we need to start investigating to find out who is leaving these abominations," he gestured disgustedly at the rose on the ground. "Who would have even known which hotel we were staying in when we went to New York?"

"Wes is the only one, I think."

"You're not…"

"No. It's not Wes. It can't be. What is happening?"

Kurt stroked Blaine's back gently. "We'll figure it out."

"Thank you," Blaine said, and Kurt knew he was thanking him for his love and commitment more than the promise of figuring out what was going on.

"Okay, let's get home so we can relax in bed watching trashy television." Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and led him out of the room and up and out the front doors of Dalton.

As they left the building behind, Blaine said, "I can't stop thinking about how if it hadn't been for this place, none of this, none of my life, would be the same. I owe everything to Dalton."

"Not everything, just me."

Blaine smiled. "Ah, but it's the same thing."

* * *

Chase sat before a group of people who were staring at him expectantly.

"That's all the progress you've made?" One of the women asked.

"I can't...he's really irreversibly in love with the Chancellor. I don't know that there's much I can do."

"You have one more week. Pull out all the stops. If this fails, we'll have no choice but to move on to plan B, which would be more devastating to both Anderson and Hummel," she laughed cruelly. "We're running out of time to bring Chancellor Anderson down before he makes changes to our world that we can't take back. We need to destroy him, and soon."

"I'll make it happen," Chase promised. He'd grown to actually kind of like Kurt over the last month. He didn't want plan B to come to fruition unless it absolutely had to. "You can count on me."

"Thank you. You're dismissed, Mr. White."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Eek. I know it's been a slow build, but we're getting to some big stuff. I struggled with this chapter, so please forgive any mistakes or weirdness! xo**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Five**

The sound of his phone ringing made Kurt look up from the array of empty food containers spread out on the table in front of him. He and Chase had been laughing over a compilation video of runway model fails while they took a break from their work of tailoring Kurt's new line to perfectly fit Chase. After he'd realized that Chase was the exact right size for the samples he had made, and Chase reiterated his modeling experience and desire to do it again, he'd gotten to work right away on making sure everything was perfect for an upcoming photo shoot to advertise his new designs.

"Hello? Blaine?" He has not looked at the name that flashed across the screen, but assumed it was his boyfriend.

"It's me. Where are you?" Blaine sounded edgy and Kurt automatically went into soothing mode.

"I'm all right. Still at work. But everything is okay."

"Good," his sigh of relief was audible. "Are you going to be home soon?"

"What? What time is it?" Kurt looked around to try to locate the time, but came up empty.

"It's almost nine." Kurt could hear the nerves in Blaine's voice. "Will you come home to me soon please?"

"Of course, baby, I just lost track of time. Let me finish up a few things and then I'll be there."

"'Kay. Love you. Bye."

"Love you too. See you soon."

Kurt put away his phone and apologized to Chase.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was so late. I need to be getting home. Let me call Wes for a ride and then we can get this cleaned up."

"No need to call Wes. I can take you home, silly," Chase told him, already clearing the empty dishes from the table.

"Oh! Are you sure?"

"It's no problem at all. You bought me dinner. It's the least I could do to repay you for this awesome date."

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop. But I'll definitely take you up on that ride."

Chase helped him clean up dinner and lock up the store, then held open the car door for Kurt.

"You're ridiculous," Kurt smacked his arm, but got in anyway. "You know you're taking me home to my boyfriend, right?" he joked.

They chatted about work and the upcoming Sunday meal delivery to a new Low Class village until Chase pulled up in front of Kurt and Blaine's house.

"Do you want to continue the fitting tomorrow after we close up?" Chase asked eagerly.

Kurt had planned to have the photographer come shoot the line next week, and had to make sure everything was perfect by then, but the next day was out.

"I can't. It's Friday night and we always have a big friends and family dinner on Fridays."

"Oh." Chase sounded as disappointed as he looked, causing Kurt to want to make it up to him.

"Hey...Do you want to join us for dinner tomorrow?"

"I'd love to!"

Kurt clapped his hands together, always pleased when more guests agreed to come to Friday night dinners. "Great. I'll see you in the morning at the store. Thanks again for the ride!"

Chase reached out and caught Kurt's wrist and pulled him back slightly. He leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, lingering a moment too long.

Kurt flushed as he took his hand out of Chase's grasp and hurried out of the car. "Bye."

Once inside, Kurt felt the familiar sense of gratefulness and joy that he always felt upon coming home. "I'm back!" he called.

Blaine appeared from around the corner in the kitchen with a relieved smile. "Welcome home. I'm just reheating your dinner."

Kurt waved him off. "Oh, don't worry about that. I already had takeout."

Blaine's smile fell. "You did?"

Kurt walked through the foyer and rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Yeah, Chase picked something up since we were working late."

"You were with Chase." It wasn't a question.

"And I completely lost track of time. Blaine, he's so brilliant, you should hear the idea he came up with!"

"I can hardly stand the anticipation…" Blaine grumbled, but Kurt seemed oblivious to his mood.

"He has some modeling background and he knew I was looking for someone to photograph in my new line, so he volunteered to do it for me!"

"He's going to be modeling for you?"

"Isn't it a great idea? I mean, he's gorgeous, so it makes sense."

Blaine looked instantly hurt. He set down the plate he'd been wrapping in aluminum foil and crossed his arms protectively over his chest. "You think he's gorgeous?"

"Don't you? He's a very attractive guy. You and I have always been able to agree on that kind of thing."

"But gorgeous? That's what you call me."

Blaine's voice was small and that was what _finally_ seemed to clue Kurt into the hurt he was feeling.

He laid a hand atop Blaine's, which sat, white-knuckled, on the kitchen counter. His eyes searched Blaine's face to find that he was really, _really_ upset, and Kurt, in turn, was upset with himself for making him feel that way.

"It's not...that's not what I meant, of course. Not to compare him to you. Not ever."

"You just shouldn't even have to reassure me of that. It shouldn't be an issue." Blaine was guarded, and it killed Kurt that he felt like he had to put up his defenses with him, the one person he should be able to unconditionally trust.

"You're right," Kurt's fingers stroked the back of Blaine's hand. "Because you shouldn't be worried about it. There's no contest."

Blaine took a few breaths before responding. "Okay," he said. He gave a fake smile and turned away.

"Blaine, wait," Kurt called out, reaching for him. His body felt like the distance between them was too substantial. "What's really bothering you?"

Blaine sighed. He motioned for Kurt to follow him to the couch where they sat together, though not touching.

"I'm really glad you're so happy in your work, Kurt. You deserve every second of the recognition you're receiving, and you know I support your business with all my heart. But hiring an assistant was supposed to give you more free time to spend with family, not take it away. Not to mention that you're apparently attracted to your assistant, whom you very well knowI do not trust," he added dryly.

"Call me selfish, but I crave your time. Kurt, I crave your company and your support. Your promises mean everything to me. _You_ mean everything to me. When you promised you'd be here tonight to help me prepare for my presentation, I believed you. You've never given me any reason to doubt your promises. Is there any reason for me to doubt them now?"

Kurt's eyes widened and he rubbed across his eyes when Blaine mentioned the presentation. Tomorrow was the day Blaine would propose his four-year plan for eradicating the Class system. He had been planning and preparing for months and had never been so nervous or excited for anything in his life.

"Shit, Blaine. I am _so_ sorry. No, god. You never have and never will have any reason to doubt me. You're...shit, Blaine," he said again, glancing sadly at Blaine, who was too far away on the other end of the couch. "Will you let me hold you?"

Blaine closed the distance between them and fell into his open arms without hesitation.

"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel unsure of any part of us. And I will spend the next few days — _weeks_ , if I need to — making it up to you that I forgot about your presentation. But please don't think that my devotion to you has swerved even the tiniest bit. Chase could vouch for that, too. I talk about you all day long. Some might even say that I'm obsessed." He felt the vibration of Blaine's chuckle and dropped a kiss to the crown of his head. "I'll distance myself from him some more. I don't need another best friend. I already have Sam and Wes."

"Hey," Blaine protested "Wes is _my_ best friend!"

"Maybe. But he likes me better." He smiled against Blaine's soft curls. "I just really, really fucking love you. Please don't ever forget that. Okay?"

Blaine craned his neck up to give Kurt a lingering kiss. "I won't. But you're welcome to remind me any time you like."

"If I don't make you feel it every single day, I'm failing you. Now let's stay like this for a little while, then we can get down to business with preparing you for tomorrow."

They both sighed contentedly, glad to have worked through the argument and knowing that they could overcome anything. Or at least, they had been able to so far.

* * *

Blaine's plan was flawless.

It was just the right amount of change in small enough increments that, if followed perfectly, should create the perfect setup for ridding the country of its Classes. One of the first things he planned to do, and one of the pieces he was most nervous for, was to end the requirement for citizens to wear their Class-indicating wristbands. Blaine knew he would receive backlash from traditionalists for his plan (and especially that part being introduced so early on), but he knew he was doing the right thing. And whenever he started to question himself, Kurt was there to reassure him that he was the best leader the people could have asked for. They could only hope that the airing of Blaine's proposal on live television would not prompt the delivery of more black roses, or further action from whoever was sending them.

Blaine presented his outline to the Council and cameras from multiple news outlets the next afternoon. It received an astounding eleven out of twelve votes in favor, meaning it would be implemented starting immediately, beginning with the end of the wristband requirement.

"Will you ceremoniously cut your wristband now on live television to mark the occasion of this proposal passing and symbolize the unity of our nation?" A reporter asked at the press conference afterward.

Blaine was tempted, but responded with a negative. "Eliminating Class differences and inequality is something that is very important to myself, my boyfriend, and the basis of our relationship. Cutting off our wristbands is something we will do together, as we do all things."

Blaine caught a glimpse of Burt's nod of approval and felt happiness flood his body.

He could not imagine how he could feel any happier than he did in that moment.

* * *

"Test number seven of serum A3902."

By now, the scientist sat back and watched as her assistant administered the injection. Six attempts and six fatal failures. She was beginning to feel quite exasperated and hopeless that the serum would never work. Anderson's proposal to completely eliminate the Class system had passed earlier that day, and the downfall of the society she direly needed to protect was now imminent. Time was running out. She needed to succeed.

The assistant stepped back after pulling the needle out of the subject's arm, and the scientist waited for a telltale sign that they had failed yet again. Foaming at the mouth, convulsions, bloodcurdling screams, bleeding from the nose or ears...but none of the symptoms came.

She slowly rose to her feet and approached, still half-expecting something to happen to the subject.

"State your name," she spoke to the woman strapped in the chair.

The subject moaned an unintelligible word.

"Vital signs stable," the assistant announced.

They released the subject from her chair and she fell to the ground, unable to remember how to coordinate her body movements for walking.

"She appears to have lost long term memory and procedural memory as well," the scientist jotted down notes in her notebook as the assistant ran routine test after test. She sighed heavily.

"Test seven of serum A3902 failed. Resume research. Again. And get rid of her."

* * *

Friday night dinner that week was a huge celebration of Blaine's (and equality's) triumph.

Blaine, Kurt, Burt, Wes, Cooper, Alyssa, Sam, and Renna sat around in the Anderson/Hummel living room with champagne flutes, toasting to the future and sharing in a mutual exhilaration at the exciting times to come.

The cook had just announced dinner when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Wes told Kurt as the crew moved to the dining table.

Blaine took Kurt's hand with a wide smile, sitting next to him. He had, of course, forgiven Kurt since their argument the previous day, but Kurt refused to stop trying to make it up to him.

 _Love you_ , Kurt mouthed in his direction. Blaine squeezed his hand in response as his friends and family dug into the feast in front of them.

Wes returned to the room, followed by someone else.

"We have one more guest," he said, motioning to Chase behind him.

Kurt shot a panicked look at Blaine. He had completely forgotten about inviting Chase to dinner. Things had been going so well since his and Blaine's fight, too, but now, he saw the steely coolness in Blaine's eyes as he pushed himself away from the table.

"We don't have an extra place set for you, but you can sit here, _by Kurt_ ," Blaine said pointedly, standing and offering his seat to the other man.

"Blaine," Kurt pleaded, starting to stand as well, but Blaine shook his head, clearly telling Kurt not to follow him.

Wes covered the tense moment well, and the rest of the guests were friendly toward Chase, so Kurt awkwardly suffered through the rest of dinner. He was twitchy and dying to go after Blaine, but he knew his time would come after everyone had left.

Kurt mentally kicked himself. The evening had been so nice and the atmosphere victorious, and he had destroyed it by being thoughtless.

He pretended to laugh at something Sam said, rolled his eyes along with everyone else when Cooper made a dumb joke, and minutely shook his head when his dad sent him a questioning look.

Finally, everyone left, Kurt assuring his dad and Wes that he would take care of the Blaine situation and seeing them off.

He found Blaine sitting at his piano, just staring at the keys.

"Don't," Blaine warned as Kurt came closer, intending to rub his shoulders. Kurt stopped in his tracks.

"Blaine—"

"How could you invite him into our home?"

"I invited him before I knew how you felt, before our talk yesterday. Then I was so caught up in you and what you did today that I forgot to tell him not to come tonight. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Please…"

"Not right now. Just...go."

Kurt's breath caught. Was Blaine asking him to leave?

Blaine must have felt the fear rolling off of him. "Not for good, just for a little while. Give me a few hours?"

"Okay," Kurt whispered, backing away. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

Kurt collapsed behind the shut door of the music room, crying into his hands.

He and Blaine had never fought so badly that one of them had asked the other to leave. It felt so much more serious than anything had before. They always forgave each other. Always. Now...he may have screwed up beyond what Blaine could forgive. Blaine didn't deserve to be treated with anything less than perfect respect. He would be right to ask Kurt never to come back.

 _Fuck._ He wiped his tears and pulled out his phone.

 _To Chase: Meet me at the store in 30 minutes._

* * *

Chase received Kurt's text and was out the door within minutes. He had seen the look on Blaine's face when he showed up for dinner earlier, he wasn't stupid. He knew his presence and persistence was creating a rift between Kurt and Blaine. It was exactly as he had intended.

Now Kurt was asking him to meet after he and Blaine had presumably had an argument. It could be the chance he needed, the moment of vulnerability he'd been waiting for in Kurt when he could swoop in and complete his mission.

He met Kurt just as he was stepping out of his car, and immediately noticed that he had been crying.

Wordlessly, he followed Kurt back into his office.

"What's wrong?" he asked, reaching for Kurt's shoulder, which Kurt allowed.

"Blaine and I had a big fight. Sorry for the urgent text, I just needed to see you."

Kurt's body language was open and defeated, and Chase saw it as an invitation. He pushed in, pressing Kurt against his desk, and claimed his mouth. Chase ran his hands from Kurt's hips up to his shoulders as he kissed him, eagerly exploring Kurt's mouth with his tongue.

Kurt tasted sweeter than any boy he'd been with before. Chase should have known. Kurt was full of surprises.

It was only a minute later that he realized that Kurt had not responded to the kiss at all. He pulled back and looked hopefully at his boss' face.

Kurt seemed to wake up from a trance as he locked eyes with Chase, and his mouth turned down at the corners, his posture pulling up into something defensive.

"No, Chase," Kurt said with a warning in his voice as he pushed Chase back out the door at arm's length.

"But you said you needed to see me?" Chase was confused. And so disappointed.

"To let you go," Kurt explained calmly. "You've been an amazing assistant and great friend, but there's a line, and you've crossed it. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear enough that I'm not interested in anyone else. Even if Blaine never wants to look at me again, I will never want anyone but him. I apologize for having to do this to you, but my relationship comes first. So please grab your things and get out. I'll send you your last paycheck."

Wow. He had read that all wrong. Kurt and Blaine were stronger than he ever imagined. What could he say? Kurt was flat out rejecting him for the final time, that much was clear.

He collected his belongings and left the store without a word, with only one wistful glance back at Kurt to make sure he had not changed his mind.

This was bad. Very bad. Once in his car, Chase hit the steering wheel so hard it bruised his palm. He had never failed at anything before. He refused to report back to the group about Kurt refusing his advances because they'd never trust him with any tasks ever again. And because they'd resort to the backup plan, which involved doing irreversible damage to Kurt, and therefore, to Blaine.

He had to come up with something else before it was too late. It was time for a little bit of honesty and a lot of creativity.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Six**

Impossible.

What Kurt was about to do was so far beyond his wildest imagination that it seemed unachievable. He couldn't stop thinking about it, though doing so made bile rise in his throat and his heart contract painfully. How? That was the question that plagued him. _How?_

Getting through this would be the hardest thing he ever had to do. Harder than being whipped. Harder than watching Blaine watch him as he was tortured. Harder even than leaving Blaine before graduation with no explanation and no hope to ever see him again.

He let his head fall back against the door with a _thump_ and knew he'd be lucky to survive the night. It would surely be the worst night of his life, and if he came out the other side in one piece, he would be astonished.

Two hearts would be broken tonight, and neither one would ever be the same again.

He took a deep, stabilizing breath and reminded himself of the end that justified the means, then pushed the door open so he could destroy his life as he knew it.

 **48 hours earlier**

 _To Blaine: At my dad's. I'll be home first thing in the morning. Good night, love. xo_

Kurt stuffed his phone back in his pocket and heaved a sigh before knocking on Burt's door.

"Dad? It's me!" he called out.

"Kurt! What are you doin' here?" Burt appeared at the door with a lantern in his hand. It was after dark and the power in the village had been off for an hour already.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Kurt asked, deflecting the question for at least another few minutes. Burt shook his head and stepped aside so Kurt could come in.

"It's only nine o'clock, Kurt. I'm not _that_ old yet. I was just washing the dinner dishes. Sam's family has been cooking and serving on Fridays since I'm usually at your place, so I always make sure to wash the dishes to thank them."

"That's really nice, Dad, but you don't have to take full responsibility for dinner every night, you know."

Burt shrugged and Kurt rolled up his sleeves, stepping up to the bucket full of soapy water to begin helping with the piles of dishes.

"So…" Burt started expectantly.

Kurt sighed. He knew his dad wouldn't let it go for long. "Blaine and I had a fight after Chase showed up at dinner tonight and he asked for some space. Then when I left, something happened, and I can't go home and tell him about it now, because it'll make everything worse. I figure we will both be more clear-headed in the morning and can talk about it then."

"That's very reasonable of you. Wanna tell me what happened?"

Kurt detailed the whole story, even including the black roses and Blaine's recent elevated nervousness.

"...and I will tell him about the kiss, I just can't tell him tonight, because he'll only get angrier. I really wish he would trust me on this. He _has_ to know I would never stray from him, Dad, I love him so much I can't even stand it. Nobody does or ever could tempt me away from Blaine. He's all I'll ever see."

"I know he is, kiddo. Try not to be upset that he's insecure about this, though. It sounds like Blaine has a lot on his plate right now. He's nervous about the response to his new bill we just passed, he's scared by whatever these roses mean — which I don't like one bit, by the way, he's constantly seeing things in the press about you or him or the pair of you, bombarding him with negative thoughts day after day, and then on top of that, he now suddenly has to fight for your time and affection against another good looking gay man."

Kurt shifted his weight and bit his trembling lip. His father was right, of course. When he summarized everything like that, it made Kurt realize how much Blaine was truly facing.

Burt continued. "Consider this, Kurt. For the better part of the last year, you have been the one constant thing in Blaine's life. When his whole world turned upside down and he lost his parents and became Chancellor, _you_ were the only thing he could count on to always be there. The one person who would always love him."

"I still am!" Kurt protested.

"He knows that. I'm sure he does. But maybe he needs a little help seeing that again. How do you know that Blaine loves you and only you and that he will always be there for you?"

Kurt hadn't realized he was crying until he noticed the tears dripping into the dishwater with a plopping sound.

"It's in his actions. He brings me home desserts from your lunches, he listens to me with rapt attention when I ramble on about my day, he never asks for anything in return, he holds me like he's never held anything so precious…" he broke off with a sob.

"All he wants is your love and attention," Burt said softly as he pulled Kurt into a hug. "You're doing great, kiddo, just don't forget that Blaine is your number one priority now, okay?"

Kurt nodded and sniffled. "I love you, Dad. I especially love that you've become a father figure for Blaine, too."

"He's a really great kid. I'll be honored to have him in the family some day."

Wiping tears from his eyes, Kurt stepped away. "Okay, I'm going to bed before you make me cry anymore."

Burt winked at him and bade him good night, patting himself on the back for getting through another "dad talk."

Kurt found his way to the bedroom, stripped down to a T-shirt and boxers, and slid into his old mattress across the room from his dad's.

Before falling asleep, Kurt checked his phone one more time to find that Blaine had texted him back. Heart pounding with anticipation, he opened it.

 _To Kurt: Okay. I can't wait for you to be home where you belong. I won't sleep well without you. All my love. xo_

* * *

Blaine's phone screen lit up the darkness as he checkedthe clock for the hundredth time. 2:30am. He'd been tossing and turning all night, longing for Kurt to be home in bed with him.

Finally, he gave up and threw off the covers, deciding to move to the living room. He settled on the couch with a mug of steaming tea and stared out the window at his and Kurt's backyard garden. The rose bushes they had planted together were thriving, and made Blaine smile slightly. Thinking about Kurt always made him smile, and it made him regret how he'd acted earlier. As upset as he was about Chase showing up to dinner, Blaine should have taken the time to talk to Kurt about it, and he never should have asked him to leave. Now Kurt was staying the night at his dad's house...What if he was changing his mind? What if he was deciding that Blaine wasn't what he wanted, after all? But no. He looked at Kurt's last text. _Good night, love. xo._ Thinking like that was what got him into this situation in the first place. Why couldn't he just trust that he was good enough and take Kurt at his word that he would never want anyone else? Blaine groaned and dropped his head down into his arms. He must have fallen asleep like that, because he was woken a little while later by two hands on his shoulders and the sweetest voice in his ear.

The tall, statuesque man he loved so much stood in front of him with nothing but affection on his face, and Blaine felt his entire body relax.

"You're here," he breathed in disbelief.

Kurt sat down on the couch to take him into his arms. "Of course. I always am."

"Told you I wouldn't sleep well without you," Blaine laughed.

"Well I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. We can talk tomorrow. Let's go to bed."

So they fell asleep, both feeling the cracked pieces of their hearts mend in the safety and familiarity of the other's arms.

* * *

Kurt woke up to his face smashed against Blaine's knee. He opened his eyes blearily and looked up to find Blaine sitting, cross-legged, on the bed, frowning down at something in his hand.

"Good morning," Kurt mumbled, hugging Blaine's leg.

"Explain this," Blaine demanded, holding out his hand, which held Kurt's phone.

Kurt took it tentatively, looking down at the screen, which was open to his messages with Chase. Since his text last night, Chase had sent five additional messages.

 _To Kurt: Last night was a mistake._

 _To Kurt: I was way out of line._

 _To Kurt: Please meet me again._

 _To Kurt: I understand if you've gone back to him, though._

 _To Kurt: I just want to see you again._

Kurt didn't question why Blaine was looking at his texts. Chase's messages had come one after the other, and his phone had to have been buzzing constantly.

"Wow. Okay. I should tell you about last night. This is not what it looks like. At all."

Blaine looked like he was in pain. "It better not be. So you didn't ask him to meet up with you right after our fight?"

"Okay, that part is what it looks like," Kurt pushed himself to a seated position, throwing his phone to the foot of the bed. Blaine's eyes were brimming with tears, and Kurt needed to calm him down before he started crying too. "But I only wanted to see him so I could tell him I was firing him. I couldn't stand for someone to be a part of my life who is only toxic to the relationship I value most."

Blaine looked up hesitantly, as if he didn't dare to hope that was Kurt was saying was true. Kurt took a deep breath and continued. "Before I had a chance to say anything, though, he kissed me. Blaine, I swear I didn't kiss him back. I froze because I was so shocked at what was happening, but I didn't kiss him back. As soon as it was over, I reminded him how I felt about you, and told him I was letting him go. He left. I promise that's all that happened. I would never lie to you."

Blaine closed his eyes and seemed to be counting to ten before replying.

"So you really went to your dad's after that?"

"Honestly. I didn't think it was smart for us to talk last night when we were both so emotional. But I obviously couldn't stay away." Kurt took Blaine's hand in his and they locked eyes. "My heart is wherever you are, always, and I'm never complete unless I'm with you. I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Blaine, but I never meant to make you feel like I was pushing us aside for anything. I know how important we are to you, because it's the same for me. When everything goes to shit, I know I still have you...as long as you'll still have me." He noticed that a few tears had spilled from Blaine's eyes and wiped them away with his thumb.

"I will always want you," Blaine vowed. He crawled into Kurt's lap and kissed him with all the love that he had in his body, which could be overwhelming at times, but there was nothing Kurt loved more than drowning in it.

* * *

Blaine and Kurt spent the day in bed, watching movies and loving on each other. All of their staff had the day off with the exception of the security team, which was still working hard on making sure they were safe from whatever threats existed.

After eating fruit and cheese in bed (neither one wanted to get up to cook anything), Kurt realized that he had left his bag with his wallet and laptop in his office in his rush to get away from Chase the night before.

"I'm going to go pick it up," Kurt announced. When Blaine pouted, he added, "I want to take tomorrow off, and the only way I can do that is if I get some work done from home. I'll be quick, I promise." He slid out of bed and started dressing.

"It's really a shame to see you in clothes," Blaine groaned.

Kurt looked wistfully back at his breathtaking boyfriend, lounging atop the bedsheets in only a pair of tight briefs. "One hour. Then I'll make it up to you."

He bolted out the door in a mad dash to get his bag and get back home to what promised to be an amazing night of sex.

Kurt called for their driver, promising him double overtime for working on his day off, and was at his shop even more quickly than he had expected. He ran inside to collect his bag and his recent sketches from where he had dropped them on his desk, but stopped in his tracks. A black rose sat on top of his bag, taunting him.

He remembered what Blaine had told him the day before. Morgan, the head of security, was still looking into David Brower's death, and had reported back that the only additional evidence they had found was a black rose in Brower's apartment, just like the ones Blaine had been finding. That had terrified Kurt and Blaine, to find out that whoever was threatening them was capable of murder.

Kurt was suddenly sure he was being watched, and wanted nothing more than to get out of there and get back home.

The roses they had found so far they assumed were to scare Blaine. This particular rose, however, was clearly intended for Kurt and Kurt alone. And all at once, he understood. Whoever was doing this — whatever they were doing — was aiming to hurt Blaine by hurting Kurt. Again.

" _Fuck everything!"_ Kurt cursed dramatically as he smacked the flower onto the ground and frantically tried to wipe the black paint off of the fabric of his bag. He hated that he could be used to take a shot at Blaine. He hated that the strongest thing about them — their love — was seen as a weakness. And he hated that there was someone out there who wanted to take Blaine down and would stoop so low as to threaten their safety.

"Kurt?" Kurt shouted out in surprise and nearly fell over at the startling voice calling his name.

"Who's here?" He picked up his bag again, holding it protectively over his chest.

"It's just me," Chase stepped into the light.

Kurt somewhat relaxed upon seeing the familiar face, but was still confused and a little paranoid. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

"I need to speak to you."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

Chase gave a sad smile. "Then just listen. Have a seat."

Kurt obeyed, the tone of Chase's voice leaving him with no other choice. Chase pulled up a chair and sat opposite him.

"I have a confession to make."

 _Oh my god, is this where I get murdered?_ Kurt thought. _Is this where it ends for me?_ He reached for the tattoo on his shoulder for comfort, channeling Blaine's courage.

"I'm not who you think I am. I'm not a random person who just wanted to be Kurt Hummel's assistant." He paused for dramatic effect. "I was sent here by a group that's calling themselves the Black Roses. Can you guess why that might be?"

Kurt nodded woodenly, his blood turning icy.

"I caught wind of their mission — to take down Blaine, of course — and knew my place was with them. You see, you and your golden boy took away something very precious to me. My father."

He glanced up to see if Kurt had understood. The loud gasp and widening of his eyes told Chase he had.

"That's right. My real name is Chase White."

Kurt reached for his phone to try to call Blaine or someone for help, but Chase stopped him.

"You won't need backup. I'm not going to hurt you." He thought about what he had said, and then amended the statement. "They might, but I won't. I may have started out this journey as your assistant with a mission in mind, but along the way, I actually started to like you. And much to my dismay, I really don't want to see you reach the end they have planned for you."

Kurt's eyes narrowed. He hoped he looked braver than he felt. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was sent to try and persuade you away from Blaine and into a relationship with me. Everyone knows the easiest way to hurt Blaine is to take you away from him. If he lost you, he'd fall into a depression and maybe even step down from his role as Chancellor. But you put a wrench in that plan by being so sickeningly in love with him that you wouldn't give me a second thought, didn't you?"

"I'd never choose you over Blaine." Kurt crossed his arms.

"And that's where our problem lies. You need to, or your life is in danger."

"No."

"Even if you won't go with me, you must leave Blaine."

"No," Kurt said again, but louder.

Chase stood, knocking his chair over with a loud crash. "You don't get it! If you don't, then they will kill you."

Kurt swallowed down his heart, which had taken up residence in his throat, but still he stood his ground. "I'd rather die than hurt Blaine by willingly walking away from him."

Chase scoffed. "Of course you would. But do you think that's what he would want? Don't you think he'd rather know you were out there somewhere, alive and well, rather than gone from the world completely?"

Kurt chewed his lip as he considered what Chase had said. Blaine probably _would_ rather suffer heartbreak from Kurt leaving him than the grief of Kurt dying. "I wouldn't be well, though. I'd be miserable. And everything we worked for over the last year would be gone."

Chase grunted, growing even more frustrated.

"Kurt, you don't understand the lengths these people are willing to go to in order to stop Blaine from reforming our entire system."

"I do know. They've already murdered one friend."

"Oh, but it could be so much worse than death, Kurt. You have no idea the weapon they possess."

A shiver ran down Kurt's spine. _Worse than death?_

"And it's not only you that will suffer that fate. They'll go after Blaine, too."

That was what did it for Kurt in the end. Threatening him was one thing, but to threaten Blaine was unforgivable.

He gritted his teeth. "What do I need to do?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter 7**

Kurt could not take his eyes off Blaine. He wanted to take in every last thing he could before he wasn't able to any longer.

After his talk with Chase the night before, Kurt had come straight home strangely composed, stripped off all of his clothing, and slid back into bed with Blaine, where they both still lay. He knew Blaine could tell something was wrong, but Kurt refused to talk about it, and Blaine knew better than to push him. They spent the night in relative silence, just enjoying their closeness. There was no chance that Kurt could have succumbed to sleep, so instead, he carefully watched Blaine sleeping, memorizing and cherishing every last detail of his beautiful man.

Through the night, he could not stop his hand from caressing Blaine's bare back, his fingers from exploring Blaine's curls, nor his lips from kissing over Blaine's steadily beating heart.

Kurt was not sure how he had walked away from Blaine the first time, not knowing if they would ever see each other again after graduation. Somehow, this time was infinitely harder than the first. Now, their lives were so intertwined that it was nearly impossible to separate them. Now, they had a future together that they'd been dreaming about for a year and goals that actually seemed attainable. Now, Kurt was boundlessly, irreversibly in love with Blaine, as Blaine was with him.

In the soft morning light that illuminated their bedroom, Kurt took inventory of the few gray hairs that had sprouted early on Blaine's head. The brush of Kurt's fingertips disturbed Blaine, and his sleeping form rolled over to cling onto Kurt as if he could tell what was about to happen. As if he could tell that Kurt was about to slip through his fingers. Kurt held him back tightly and fought back the tears that pricked at his eyes. He had promised himself he would not cry, but it was proving fairly impossible when someone so angelic was about to be taken from him.

Kurt felt suddenly and overwhelmingly consumed with the need to connect intimately with Blaine. He ignored that the clock read 5:20am and kissed Blaine's face insistently until he woke up.

"Mmm, what izzit, Kur'?"

Kurt rolled himself so that Blaine's sleep-warm body was under his, already aroused and all too willing. Kurt kissed his lips softly, yet with an intense undercurrent of passion and need, and Blaine responded readily and lovingly as he always did.

If Blaine had any concerns about being woken before sunrise for sex, he was not making them known. Rather, he wrapped one arm tightly around Kurt's bare waist to pull him closer, and the other he let meander down so his hand rested on Kurt's ass. Kurt moaned and pressed back into Blaine's hand. The feel of being skin-to-skin with the person he was meant to be with, the person whose close proximity made his body feel supercharged and just _right_ , was something he never wanted to forget. He committed to memory the way Blaine's legs wrapped around him, the way his lips yielded and formed to his own, the way he made sounds low in his throat meant only for Kurt to hear.

This time was eerily reminiscent of the first time they'd had goodbye sex, with Kurt knowing he would never be able to hold Blaine like this again, and Blaine completely oblivious to the situation. Kurt's mind wandered briefly to how they had still, against all odds, ended up together after being forced apart. He dared to hope. The impossible had happened once...why couldn't they find their way back to each other this time?

Kurt poured every feeling he could not voice at the moment into his actions. The open-mouthed kisses he placed down Blaine's neck said _you are mine_ , the way he keened and canted his hips back when Blaine touched a finger to him said _I am yours_ , the trail his fingernails made up Blaine's sides, making him quiver, said _nobody else could ever make me feel like this._ And every single touch of their lips said _I love you and I always will._

By the time he was moving up and down on top of Blaine with his quads tensing and hands bracing on Blaine's thighs, he was fighting to hold himself together.

The thought that his Blaine, his perfect, extraordinary Blaine, would never again be inside of him, that they would never again be connected like this…it was unbearable.

Every move was slow and sensuous. Blaine's voice was rough with sleep and he was soft and pliant beneath Kurt. The way he gave himself over entirely, without any doubt that Kurt would care for him, brought Kurt to the edge.

He felt the telltale tightening of Blaine in him and watched as his eyes fought to stay open and a moan fell from his lips while he came.

He was so beautiful, so vulnerable in that moment that Kurt had no choice but to surrender to his orgasm, too.

When it was over, Kurt crawled up next to Blaine, who, asleep already, held onto Kurt like he needed him to survive.

* * *

Everything was ready, except for Kurt, who never would be. How could he ever prepare himself to do something so horrible, so painful? A large suitcase sat at his feet, its contents the most important things in Kurt's life. Except for the single most important thing, but he wasn't allowed to bring Blaine with him. He had packed a couple of outfits and his basic toiletries, but the rest of the suitcase was stuffed with other things. Things like a ratty old T-shirt of Blaine's that smelled like him no matter how many times it was washed, a photo album full of pictures of the two of them and their friends and family, and the dried, gold-dipped rose from their first date.

Blaine had stepped out to pick up a late lunch, and Kurt now waited for his return, practically clawing his way out of his own skin at the thought of the unendurable task ahead of him.

Kurt's whole body was shaking by the time Blaine came back, and he had no clue how he would get through it.

"I'm home!" Blaine announced, setting the bags of takeout on the counter and coming into the living room to find Kurt. He stopped when he saw the suitcase and the expression Kurt wore, concern washing over him.

"What's going on? Are we going somewhere?"

Kurt's heart panged at that question. Blaine's first instinct was that they were going away together. Of course it was. Kurt had never given him and reason to believe otherwise. He knew in that moment that it would be harder than he ever imagined, and that he would be fighting himself every step of the way.

"Have a seat, Blaine," he insisted, voice higher than normal as he struggled to keep it steady.

Blaine listened, keeping a watchful eye on Kurt, who in turn, carefully controlled his expression.

He took a shuddering breath and forced the words to come out. "I'm leaving."

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Where are you going? When will you be back?" His eyes were earnest, and that was only making everything more difficult.

"No, Blaine," Kurt spoke slowly and clearly. "I'm _leaving_. I'm leaving you." The words were followed by the taste of bile that had risen up in his throat.

A heavy silence filled the air as the words sunk in. Blaine blinked at him, trying to process the information.

"I—I don't understand…" Blaine spoke emotionlessly as if under a spell. "You love me."

Kurt clenched his fists so hard that crescent shaped cuts formed in his palm. "I did love you, but it's not the same anymore."

Blaine seemed to catch up with what was happening, and his eyes filled with tears. "Is it...are you leaving me to be with Chase?" he whispered.

"No!" The urge to run to Blaine, to cradle him and reassure him was overwhelming. "Absolutely not. I promised you I didn't love anyone else, and that's still true."

"Then why?" He looked desperate, like he was about to fall at Kurt's knees and beg him to stay.

 _Please don't beg,_ Kurt thought. _I'm not strong enough to handle that_.

"We were great together. We've accomplished so much." He tried to sound offhand, but his insides felt like they were being wrung out. He hated himself for playing on Blaine's biggest insecurity. "There's nothing more you can do for me now. There's a plan in place to eradicate the Class system. That was all I ever wanted."

Blaine looked like he had been shot in the heart, and he held his trembling hand over his chest. His face crumpled into a look of agony. "Kurt...please. Can we talk about this? I can be better for you. I can make you happier, I promise. I'll come home earlier each day, I'll take you on trips across the world, I'll learn how to cook! I know I didn't buy you that car yet...I was waiting for your birthday, but I can get it for you tomorrow if that's what you want."

Kurt let out a gasping sob that he tried to cover with a cough as he fought the tears that threatened his calm facade. If he showed Blaine how hard this was for him, everything would be ruined. If he cried now, he was sure he wouldn't ever stop.

"It's nothing you've done or haven't done," he said softly. "You've been perfect."

Blaine reached for him then looking wild, grabbing his hand and holding tight. "Please, Kurt, I can't. I don't know how to _be_ without you. You are my world. I would be completely lost if you left."

"You've done it once before." Kurt was gripping Blaine's hand back hard, willing him to just accept what he was saying and for the torture to end.

"And I spent every moment of that time looking for you and thinking about you. I'm not happy without you. I'm not _anything_ without you."

"Blaine, this is final. I don't want to be with you anymore. I'm leaving."

He released Kurt's hand then, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

"I...I understand." He smiled a little, though it was the saddest smile Kurt had ever seen from him. "You always were too big for me. Too bright, too good. I was lucky you even gave me what little time we spent together."

Kurt shook his head, wanting nothing more than to tell Blaine that _he_ was the lucky one, that _Blaine_ was the one who was the biggest and brightest and should have been out of reach. He needed Blaine in his arms to tell him that they were perfect together. What he really needed was to tell Blaine the truth, that this was all a sham and that he never stopped loving him, but Chase had said that if anyone found out that Blaine knew what was really going on, they'd all be killed. Kurt couldn't risk putting Blaine's life in any further danger.

"You should stay and I'll leave," Blaine said, standing suddenly. "Take the house. Take the cars. Take Wes and Morgan. I need you to be safe and okay, and I don't need any of it without you." Blaine broke down, falling to the ground when he realized his legs weren't steady enough to support his weight. "I am nothing without you."

Kurt had to hide his face for a moment to regain his composure.

"No, Blaine. I don't want anything. I'll be fine."

Blaine choked out a laugh. "I knew you'd say that. There are two things you have to take with you, though. Wait here. Don't leave yet."

He waited for Kurt to nod before crawling up off the floor and disappearing down the hall.

Kurt focused on breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, forcing himself to keep it together. It broke his heart that Blaine accepted what he was doing because he thought he wasn't good enough for Kurt. That told him he hadn't done enough to make Blaine believe they were meant to be together, and he wished he could reverse time and do a million things differently.

Blaine returned with tear tracks down his face and sobs shaking his body, holding out a small plastic rectangle.

"Here. This credit card is for a personal emergency account I had set up for you. Please. If it's the last thing you do for me, take this and use it. It'll be enough to keep you comfortable for a very long time."

Kurt knew it would be futile to resist, and he was touched, so he accepted the card.

"What's the other thing?"

Blaine sniffed loudly, his whole body shaking, and he pulled out a small box from his back pocket.

Kurt recognized that box from the underwear drawer. _The ring._

Opening the box, Blaine held out the delicate band toward Kurt in his open palm.

"Blaine…" Kurt breathed in disbelief, feeling sick to his stomach.

"I—I've had this for a long time. I was waiting. For you to be ready, that is. Maybe it won't mean anything to you now, but I have to know that the ring is with you. It was meant for you. Even—even if I wanted to, I could never do anything else with it. Please take it, Kurt. Please let it remind you of me and the time we had together. Please don't forget me," Blaine sobbed.

Kurt took the ring from his hand without hesitation and pulled Blaine into a fierce hug.

He'd never appreciated just how perfectly Blaine fit into his arms or how their hearts beat together in perfect syncopation or how Blaine's hands warmed right through his body to his soul, and now that he was noticing, Kurt was afraid he'd never let go.

They stood there holding each other for what could have been hours before they separated, Kurt's shirt soaked through with Blaine's tears, and Blaine's shoulders aching with how hard Kurt had been gripping him.

"Promise me just one thing," Kurt whispered, searching the hazel eyes he knew as well as his own.

"Anything you want."

"Don't ever stop fighting for the cause. Don't give up your power."

Blaine nodded, though he couldn't imagine how he could continue to work when his world had been turned upside down and his heart smashed to bits.

"I have to go now."

They spent another few minutes just looking into each other's eyes before Kurt started to move.

"I love you more than anything in this life," Blaine said to his retreating back.

Kurt whispered so quietly that Blaine could not possibly have heard him. "I love you, too, Blaine."

And with that, he shut the front door to the house and subsequently, the door to his future and happiness.

* * *

"Test number thirteen of serum A3902."

The researcher stepped forward toward the woman tied down to the chair, wielding the most promising batch of the memory serum they'd created yet.

"What is that? Don't you dare put that in me!" the woman cried and fought her restraints.

"You deserve nothing less. By the end of tonight, you'll have forgotten all about your place in the Resistance. You'll be fighting for what's right: traditionalism. Your town won't know what hit them."

Without further warning, the needle pierced the skin of the woman's arm, the serum being pumped through her veins.

The scientist took a step back and watched.

Nothing changed noticeably except for the straightening of the woman's spine and the blank look on her face.

"State your name and the year."

"My name is Naomi Tai. I...I'm not sure what year it is."

"Who is the Chancellor?"

"I...don't...know…" she frowned in frustration.

"The Chancellor is Blaine Anderson. He is trying to get rid of the Class system. He believes in equality across Classes. He's an evil detriment to society who needs to be stopped."

"Blaine Anderson must be stopped," she repeated. "He cannot end the Class system."

The scientist smiled widely. "Very good." She turned to her assistant and the video camera. "Test thirteen...successful."

* * *

Kurt dumped his suitcase and sagged against the door of his office, where he'd be staying for now.

Now that he was finally out of the presence of other people, he collapsed, giving in to the weight of his grief. He opened his hand, which still held tightly to the engagement ring Blaine had given him and slid it onto his left hand before crying himself into oblivion.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: I apologize in advance for the short chapter here. I have some pretty exciting stuff happening in my personal life, so I'm a bit distracted, but I wanted to get something out there this week, even if a little shorter than usual. Enjoy! xo**

 _ **Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Eight**

The bed smelled like Kurt. It was the only thing that had motivated Blaine to move from where he had puddled on the floor after Kurt left. The bed smelled like Kurt and like them and like memories of the life they'd built, and Blaine refused to ever leave. If he stayed, he could pretend that Kurt had woken up early to cook them breakfast. If he stayed, he could pretend that the horrible thing hadn't happened.

Except he couldn't. There was an emptiness inside of him that even his imagination could not fill. His heart beat out of time and his bones ached with his loss.

Still, he knew that leaving the bed (or worse, the house) would be equally as hard, if not harder than staying put. If everything was going to remind him of Kurt and the void he had left behind, he might as well be reminded in a safe place where he could most easily pretend Kurt's arms were around him.

Blaine no longer felt any urge to eat, to bathe, to do anything, really. Day faded into night and night into morning, but time didn't mean anything, not when his heart had been taken from him so cruelly. He could not be sure if he was awake or asleep or somewhere in between, because even while unconscious, the pain never ebbed.

At some point on what he deduced must have been Monday, he heard the front door creak open.

"Kurt?" he asked tentatively, not daring to believe that Kurt could have returned.

"It's me," called back a voice that was not the melodic one he had hoped for.

"Wes…" Blaine grumbled, falling back into the softness of the mattress. He couldn't be bothered to care that he was a mess and probably smelled fairly terrible. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Okay, man, what the hell happened to you?" Wes approached the bed carefully, like Blaine was a wounded, skittish animal.

"He's gone," Blaine mumbled into the pillows. It was the first time he had spoken it aloud, and the finality of the words settled like a weight in the pit of his stomach.

Wes only needed a few seconds to put the pieces together. "Oh hell. What happened?" he asked again.

Blaine was in tears before he even began speaking. "He's moving on. He doesn't love me anymore. He left, Wes. Kurt left me."

Wes rubbed his back comfortingly as he sobbed into the sheets.

"That can't be right. It's Kurt. It's you and Kurt. You're unstoppable. I literally gag when I'm around you because you love each other so much."

"Not anymore," Blaine said without any trace of bitterness, only misery.

Wes was quiet for a moment, and Blaine could feel in the space between them that he was leaving something unsaid.

"I'm really sorry, Blaine. What do you need from me?"

"Nothing."

"Okay." He stops and left the room, and Blaine was both grateful for and regretful of the loneliness all at once.

A few minutes later, though, Wes reentered the room.

"I respect your sadness and your grief. Take another day off tomorrow, then you'll be back at work the following day. In the meantime, I am going to make sure you are taken care of. I started a shower for you, and when you're finished we will eat lunch. Now go." He pushed Blaine in the direction of the bathroom.

"I hate you!" Blaine grumped as he walked numbly through the hall.

"I know. I love you too!" And Blaine could hear the smirk in his voice.

* * *

"Did Wesley put you up to this?" Blaine asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The intruder he stared down was shoving a grilled cheese sandwich at him forcefully.

"No! Okay, I mean...maybe the food thing a little bit. But the rest of it is all me. Can't I just want to make sure my little brother is okay?"

"Cooper, I'm _fine._ "

"That's the worst lie I've ever heard. You look like a pile of steaming shit. Also I think you're actually sucking the happiness out of the atmosphere around you."

"Thank you, that is very nice."

"Come on. I know this sucks. It sucks so, so badly. You and K—"

" _Don't say his name!_ "

"You and Little Burt Jr. completed each other. You're angry and sad and that's okay. But someday that's going to turn into hope and the desire to try to get him back, and he will want to know that you are doing well, no matter what happened or will happen between you two. So as badly as it hurts, you _have_ to go on with things, Squirt. You have a country to run and people to save, so put on your best game face and force yourself to do it. Then when you come home at night and feel like you need to dissolve, the people who love you will be here to help."

He knew Cooper was right, and it had been the one thing that Kurt had asked him to do. So of course he'd continue to get out of bed and do his duty to his people. But it annoyed him that Cooper had been the one to make him realize it.

"I hate you," Blaine said. It was apparently becoming his go-to line for the people he cared most about.

"No, you just hate that I'm right." He grinned his 1000 watt grin, offered the grilled cheese back out to Blaine, and when he refused, shrugged and ate it himself.

* * *

"Sweet baby, everything will turn out the way it's supposed to," Renna cooed as she cradled Blaine gently.

Immediately upon Cooper's departure and her arrival (apparently Wes thought he needed to be supervised at all times), Blaine broke down again and let Renna hold him while he cried. Something about her presence felt so familial and like home that he just couldn't help it.

"How is it possible that my life is supposed to turn out without Kurt?"

"Mm," she shook her head. "Maybe it's not."

"What do you mean?"

"I watched the two of you fall in love. What you share isn't the sort of thing that just goes away. Maybe you're meant to be apart right now, but that doesn't mean you're meant to be apart forever."

"You really think so?"

"I think if you love him like I know you do, you owe it to yourself to find out."

He let that sink in. "But for now, how can I make the hurt go away?"

"I don't know that you can, but I know something that might help. Remember when we were kids and my mom would make us write letters to people when we were sad or angry at them?" She slid a notepad and pen toward him with a smile.

* * *

 _Dearest Kurt,_

Blaine took a deep breath. He had a million things he wanted to say, but putting them into words seemed impossible.

 _I miss you._

No, that was not the right way to start. He didn't want to seem desperate right off the bat. He crumpled up the paper and started fresh.

 _I hope you're doing well._

Nope. Too formal. He tried again.

 _I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but there are a few things I'd like to say._

Blaine tore up that paper as well. Why was this so difficult? He drew in another breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it rush out, along with the words.

 _Wherever you are, whatever you're doing right now, I hope you're happy. Know that I'm always thinking of you and wanting the best for you, Kurt, even if I've let you down in the past._

 _When we were together, I was far from the perfect boyfriend. I allowed myself to feel jealous when you spent time with other guys. I was ignorant about your beliefs and how you had been raised. I regret those things, but mostly, I regret that I never apologized for them. I can't let you walk away without saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being everything you needed, and I'm sorry that I didn't take the time to apologize for that. Please accept it now._

 _It's hard for me to believe that things are truly over between us. I keep thinking that you'll walk in the door any minute or that I'll roll over in bed and smack into your chest. Neither of those things will happen, because you're gone._

 _The day you left, I said I understood. I said I had been living on borrowed time with you because you were too good._

 _But Kurt, how can I just stand by and actually let myself believe those things? The last few days have brought me a sort of clarity. Everyone around us believes in our love...how could I have ever doubted it?_

 _Remember last year when you told me that fighting for equality was the most important thing in the world to you and that nothing could ever get in your way? I think everyone has that thing; that one thing they'd do anything for. You're that thing for me._

 _So take your time now, do what you need to do, but please, someday soon, come back to me, even if it's just to talk as old friends._

 _I love you and I always will,_

 _Blaine_

* * *

Blaine felt very accomplished, considering he had actually dressed and left the house. He was not set to return to work until the following day, but the letter he had written to Kurt was burning a hole in his pocket, and he needed to get it to Burt right away.

He knocked on Burt's office door, hit with a sudden nervousness that his ex-boyfriend's father wouldn't want to see him.

"Come in! Oh! Hey, bud!" Burt said excitedly. "Wes said you weren't feeling well. Are you better? You still kind of look like crap."

Either Burt had no idea what had happened, or he was a very good actor. He decided to play it safe and held out the letter.

"I need you to give this to Kurt. Please."

"What? Why? You see him more than I do."

Blaine shook his head sadly. "I don't. You really don't know?"

Burt narrowed his eyes. "Know what?"

"Kurt moved out. He broke up with me. I thought he'd be staying with you."

"He _what_?!" Burt exploded, jumping to his feet, causing his chair to topple over behind him. He wrung his hands, pacing back and forth and carrying on a dialogue with himself under his breath.

Blaine waited for Burt to calm down incrementally before forcing him to sit back down and telling him the story.

"...So he's not staying with you?" Blaine asked.

"No…" Burt looked confused. "I don't understand."

"That's what I said. I thought things were going well."

"They were going perfectly. Blaine, not a week ago Kurt was at my house, crying to me about how much he loves you. Someone in that deep doesn't just up and leave."

"You…" Blaine tried to process the information.

"I think something fishy is going on here. I'm going to try to find Kurt."

"No need," came a new voice. Wes entered the room, holding a stack of papers from the copier. "He's staying at his office. He doesn't want to talk to anyone, but he's okay. Now go home and rest up for tomorrow, Blaine."

Blaine shot Wes a grateful glance, then gave Burt a hug before trudging back home, more lost than he was before.

* * *

Because Blaine had been holed up in his bedroom, he hadn't seen most of the rest of the house for days. So when he decided to visit the screened-in porch, hoping that some fresh air would help him think, he was taken by complete surprise.

The floor was scattered with dozens of black roses. By the way they were starting to shrivel, he could tell they were days old.

Blaine's heart started to race and he backed away from the porch. They were _in his home._ Someone had come inside his sanctuary and threatened him. He hadn't been out there since before Kurt had... _wait a minute._

The words of his family and friends flooded his memory.

 _Maybe your life isn't meant to be without him._

 _You and Kurt completed each other._

 _It's you and Kurt. You're unstoppable._

 _It's nothing you've done or haven't done. You've been perfect._

 _Something fishy is going on here._

Blaine had to brace himself against the doorframe to keep his knees from giving out.

What if the roses and Kurt leaving him weren't two isolated incidents? What if... _oh my god._

And then Blaine passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Nine**

 _The Daily Report_

 _Disappearances: Random or Methodical?_

 _An increasing number of people have been reported missing over the past two months, and while some bodies have been recovered, some of the people have not yet been found, and still others have resurfaced with no recollection of what happened to them. Loved ones of the latter group say that they've noticed slight personality differences in addition to the apparent memory loss._

 _The question that seems to be in the forefront of everyone's mind is whether or not the disappearances are related. Our investigative journalists have done some digging and found two alarming connections: first, all of the victims or survivors have ties to Chancellor Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel, and second, a black-painted rose was left in the place from which each was taken._

 _As to what these details mean, it is unclear at this time. Further investigation will be conducted, but in the meantime, authorities urge citizens to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity immediately._

 _Classless Magazine_

 _What Happened to Hummel?_

 _One of the largest symbols of the Resistance, Kurt Hummel, may be facing turmoil in his personal relationship. Sources report that he is no longer residing in his home with Chancellor Anderson, and that he may be sleeping in the back of his shop, The Golden Rose. Last time Hummel was spotted was at work, and the source says he "looked miserable." It is simple to conclude that Hummel and Anderson have split, or are at least spending some time apart. While we fully support respecting the two men and their wish for their private lives to remain private, the Chancellor and his beau have been a beacon of hope in our darkest times, and we wish them nothing but the best._

* * *

Blaine came to a few moments after passing out with a pounding in his head. He looked around and concluded that the way he had fallen, he must have hit his head on the ground, and he was thankful there hadn't been any furniture or sharp edges nearby, but _damn_ , it hurt.

Massaging his temples to try to ease the ache, Blaine sat up and was reminded of what had caused his collapse in the first place.

The wilting flowers spread out before him in a menacing way that magnified every threat and every fear Blaine had. Somehow, instinctively, he knew that these flowers were linked to Kurt. Perhaps all along, the threat was actually for Kurt and not for him. But how could it be linked to Kurt's love for him dying out? Could it be possible that Kurt was not telling the truth?

 _No, Blaine,_ he scolded himself. _You can't allow yourself to think unrealistically hopeful things like that._

He lay back against the cool tiles on the ground. The pain in his head throbbed so relentlessly that he could not think straight. He thought perhaps he should go to bed and try to work it all out in the morning after what he could only hope would be a good night's rest.

He grimaced, glancing at the flowers on the ground. Before he did anything else, he needed to destroy the roses and try to erase the fear they instilled in him.

* * *

If Blaine's three-day leave from work had been good for anything, it was piling up his mail. He sat at his desk, staring at the mound of envelopes before him and dreading the daunting task of going through them. Wes had offered on multiple occasions to handle his mail for him, but Blaine preferred for his correspondence to be personalized. He was now regretting that decision.

He started in on the first letter, feeling quite a sense of accomplishment for even being at work in the first place. The weight of the loss of Kurt was still an unbelievably heavy burden, but still Blaine had dressed and made it out of the house, though admittedly slightly less put together than normal.

Any positivity he was feeling, though, was immediately quashed upon reading his first few letters.

 _Keep the Low Class where they belong._

 _Burn in Hell._

 _You are single handedly destroying our beloved nation._

 _You don't deserve to be High Class._

 _Your Elite family is disappointed in you._

 _Repeal the new Class bill or you'll wish you'd never been born._

Blaine sighed and threw the letters into the recycling bin under his desk. He had received a few pieces of hate mail every week since he had taken the position of Chancellor, but since passing his latest proposal, it seemed that opponents were coming out of the woodwork.

He tried not to let it bring him down, tried not to turn around and tell the Council to forget it all, but he already felt so low that he was finding it extra difficult to brush things off like he normally would. It would be so easy to give in and give up. But then Kurt's words rang in his ears, telling him never to quit fighting for the cause, and he knew, even if he never saw Kurt again, that Blaine would do everything in his power to make him proud.

Blaine stared at the offending letters and briefly considered tossing the rest of the mail, but then two envelopes near the bottom of the pile caught his eye and made him gasp. They stood out from the rest, because they had been coated in a too-familiar powdery black paint.

* * *

Out of breath by the time he reached Burt's desk, Blaine panted out that he needed to see him privately then charged down the hallway.

"Of course, Chancellor." Burt followed Blaine to a small meeting room without question, clearly able to tell that something was wrong.

As soon as the door was shut behind them, Blaine looked up at Burt with fearful, watery eyes, and Burt held out his arms to catch the uncontrollably panicking who had become so dear to him.

"Blaine?" Burt dropped the formal title since they were alone. "What is it?"

Blaine spilled everything from the roses to the letters (which he intended to burn, unopened) to the potential link to Kurt. Burt listened all the while, his strong, supportive presence everything Blaine had ever wanted in a father. "I'm so scared, Burt," he admitted.

"I know you are," Burt said softly, and from the way his brow furrowed, it was apparent that he was afraid as well. "We will figure this out, buddy. I promise. I won't stand for anything happening to my boys. Either of them."

"Where do we start?" Blaine was determined. If there was a way to figure out how to make this all stop, if there was any chance, as small as it may be, that Kurt still had some feelings for him, or even to bring them back together as friends, he was going to find it.

"We start with a who. If we can find one person with a connection, we can unravel the whole thing. I think. I'm no investigator...are you sure you don't want Morgan in here to help? As the head of your security team, he may even have some insight that we don't have. Or Wes?"

"No," Blaine shook his head. "We can do this together."

What he did not want to tell Burt was that he was the only person he trusted wholeheartedly. He had begun to suspect that someone in his inner circle had been compromised, and Burt was the only person he could never see falling to something like that since he would never ever hurt his son.

Burt took a pen in his hand. He wrote ROSES on the smartboard behind him. They listed the places where the roses had been found — Blaine's office, the hotel room in New York, Dalton, his home.

Then Burt wrote DISAPPEARANCES down next to it, and they listed the people who had been taken to either later be found dead or to turn up, seemingly confused and not themselves.

Lastly, Burt wrote PEOPLE.

"Look at what we've written so far, Blaine. Look at the places you've found threats and the people who were targeted. Think about _anyone_ who could possibly have access to your life who would know where you were going to be, and how you're connected to the people who've disappeared."

Blaine cleared his throat awkwardly. "Forgive me for even having to say this, but you told me to be thorough…"

"Just say it."

"You."

Burt cringed as he wrote his own name down. "For the record—"

"I know. I know, Burt," Blaine cut him off.

Kurt's dad nodded grimly and turned back to the board. "Who else?"

"Technically anyone in our house could find the information…the housekeeper, the cook, the driver…" he talked as Burt wrote. "Also Kurt's old assistant Chase…Wes…" he trailed off while Burt finished the list.

They both stepped back to inspect the notes. "What do you think?"

"I think—I think it's pretty obvious," Blaine said in a choked voice. "Only one person on this list knew every detail of our lives and had access to all of those places."

"I agree," said Burt solemnly, circling the name.

Blaine turned to the man next to him looking even more defeated than he had in the last few days and his lip trembled. "But how? _Why_?" Blaine's shoulders shook with dry sobs. He had cried himself out over the past few days, but the awful truth of betrayal stung so deeply.

Burt clapped a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I don't know, buddy. I'm sorry."

A knock came at the door. "Blaine? You in here? I brought you lunch."

Wes cracked the door open and held out the bags of takeout in a way that was meant to be enticing.

" _NO!_ " Blaine roared, scattering papers and pens every which way as he bounded over tables and across the room. "Get out. Get _out_!" He shoved Wes backward until he was out the door.

Wes' incredulous gaze searched around for any sign of what could have triggered the extreme change in Blaine's behavior. His eyes landed on the board behind Burt and Blaine with his name circled in bright red.

"No, Blaine, you can't honestly—"

"I said get out! You're fired. Leave here immediately or I'll have you escorted out. I trusted you, Wes. _I trusted you!_ What did you do to Kurt?" He tugged his hair out of its gelled hold with white knuckles. "God damn it! I never want to see you again. _Get out_!" Blaine slammed the door in Wes' face and then fell against it, trying to catch the breath that had eluded him for days and once again giving into his despair.

* * *

The two girls who ran the storefront for Kurt were a godsend. Leaving the customers in their capable hands allowed him to remain behind closed doors, where he could mope in private.

Kurt had thought, albeit naively, that the pain would ease after a few days, but a week later, it still felt like a strong hand kept squeezing around his heart. And how could the pain go away? Blaine was everywhere; he was in every thought, every design, every memory.

After the first day, Wes had stopped by, relieved to find Kurt in one piece (physically, anyway), but Kurt had begged him to leave and not return, as he could not deal with seeing Blaine's best friend, and one of the people who reminded him most of what he had lost. Wes had left reluctantly that day, but he was not the sneakiest of people, and though he did not contact him again, Kurt knew Wes stopped by the store every day to check in on him with the girls out front. They even brought lunch back to his office (purchased by Wes, of course), but upon seeing the meals from his and Blaine's favorite restaurants and remembering the times they'd gone on dates there or abandoned their takeout in favor of more intimate activities, he felt too sick to eat.

His dad had come by to try to talk, as well, but Kurt knew there was no way he could see his dad without the dam breaking and spilling every last detail of what was happening. He refused to put his father in danger like that, so he brushed off his attempts and asked him desperately to leave and to go back and take care of Blaine.

By his own design, Kurt was more alone than he had ever felt in his life. The only thing tethering him to reality was the gold and rose gold ring around his finger. It was a tangible representation of Blaine's love for him, and if the only thing Kurt knew for the rest of his days was that Blaine loved him, that would be enough. He looked down and kissed the ring tenderly.

"I love you, Blaine," he whispered into the emptiness of his office with tears streaming down his face. "I love you and I'll do whatever I can to get you back."

Kurt knew where he needed to start, and that was by tracking down the person he least wanted to see in the world: Chase.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: The suspense is almost over, I promise! The next chapter is "The Big One: Part 1." :)**

 **This chapter is set up a little differently than usual because I had so many characters to check in with. I hope it makes sense!**

 _ **Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Ten**

 _Chancellor Anderson Moves Forward with Plan_

 _The Resistance Times_

 _If there were any doubts that Chancellor Anderson could carry out his proposal to eliminate the Class system, the new actions taken by the Council have put them to rest. In the next six months, two major pieces of the puzzle will fall into place: the end of the Class income caps and the legality of interclass marriage. During a recent press conference, where Anderson appeared exhausted and unlike his usual chipper and put-together self, he also mentioned that the Council was looking into putting together a plan to make healthcare equal and available to every citizen._

 **Chase**

The weekly meeting of the Black Roses had been going on for hours already and Chase wanted nothing more than to go home for the night. Everyone was just talking in circles about what to do now that their major plan had seemingly failed. They had been so sure that taking Kurt away from Anderson was enough to make him give up his duties as Chancellor, opening the door to another vote, but clearly they had been wrong. If anything, Anderson was gaining steam, not losing it. And the more pieces of the proposal he enacted, the closer they became to losing their opportunity to do anything about it.

"So we go after Anderson directly," one man suggested.

"Too risky! His protection is so tight now, we'd be stopped before we even started."

"Well we do have a little help in that area…"

"Still too conspicuous. I say we step up our game and use the injection on people in his inner circle. His brother, Hummel's dad, his best friend…"

"What about Hummel himself?"

A low hum of approval ran through the small crowd.

"Why are those things mutually exclusive?"

The hum grew to a roar.

"White, I think we have just the job for you."

 **Cooper**

Cooper loved the neighborhood he lived in, and that it was only a fifteen minute walk from work. As much as he loved his family, he greatly valued his quiet time alone before arriving home every day to the hurricane that was his children.

He breathed in deeply, tasting the crisp air, and let it out, releasing the tension that had built up during the workday. He thought of Blaine and how happy he was that they had reunited, and how proud he was of what he was doing with the life he was forced into. Cooper still felt somewhat guilty about leaving Blaine with no choice but to follow in their father's footsteps, even though Blaine repeatedly assured him he was happy that his big brother had made the choice he did.

Cooper would later admit that while he walked home that night, he was not paying attention to his surroundings, otherwise he may have noticed the two sets of footsteps trailing him. Had he taken the more populated streets, there would have been too many witnesses for the men to make a move. But he had chosen the less-traveled route, meaning there was nobody around to hear his shouts as the men grabbed him from behind and hit him with a sedative before dragging him off into their vehicle.

 **Blaine**

Blaine felt a shadow of happiness for the first time in the weeks since Kurt had left him. He and the Council were making progress toward their end goal, and the steps they had announced earlier in the week were well received by the majority of citizens. The hate mail still rolled in every day, but Blaine felt like overall, support for his proposal was increasing.

Even though his heart was still crushed and he thought he would never be over the aching emptiness he felt at Kurt's loss, he had found the motivation to start taking care of himself again. He was riding the high of his successful press conference and realized that if Kurt ever did come back into his life (which Burt insisted would happen, but Blaine wasn't so sure, even though they had possibly found a reason for the breakup), he wouldn't want to see the shell of a man he had left behind. So Blaine had dressed in his best Kurt Hummel original suit, styled his hair the way Kurt used to do it (or his best approximation of what Kurt could do, anyway), and was actually humming on his walk from the car into his office.

The last time he had sung, it was a soft, oldies tune that he played to Kurt one evening before bed, Kurt joining in and making their voices flow together perfectly, as always.

Blaine had given up on trying not to think about Kurt. He'd had a wonderful talk a few nights ago with Cooper, who had helped him see that he should try to focus on the good memories he had with Kurt, and not to dwell on where he went wrong. He had really been trying to take Cooper's advice, and it was helping his mood and his outlook immensely.

Unfortunately, Blaine's professional life was now infinitely more complicated without his personal assistant as well. The thought of Wes drove a knife into his heart, in a very different, yet too similar way to the thought of Kurt. The best friend he had met when he was fifteen, who had always been there for him, had always been someone he could turn to, had been the person he trusted most in the world apart from Kurt, had taken that trust and friendship and thrown it back in his face. Wes had not even attempted to defend himself. He had just gone willingly, which somehow hurt even more.

Blaine had so many things to be angry about; he had lost so much, but he chose to think about all of things he still had. Burt. Cooper and his family. Renna. The ability to make the world a better place. The chance that someday, if he played his cards right, he'd have the opportunity to talk to Kurt again, to touch him again.

A small smile pulled at his face as he entered the office building.

"Good morning!" he said to the security guard at the door.

"'Morning, Chancellor."

Blaine made his way to his office, passing Morgan on his way, asking him for a security briefing in twenty minutes.

"Blaine, hold up!" Burt called from his desk. "I want to talk to you for a second."

Blaine dipped into the Council office and greeted Burt with an enthusiastic "good morning!" which drew out a strange look from the older man, who had only seen Blaine miserable for the past two weeks.

"I think," Burt started, folding his hands under his chin, "that it's time for you to try getting through to Kurt. I've been over to his shop five times in the last week, and he still refuses to see me. The only person who can get through to him right now is you."

"I can't." Blaine shook his head sadly. "He doesn't want to hear from me."

Burt sighed exasperatedly and leaned back in his chair. "How many times do we have to have this conversation? You found the connection yourself. Someone was threatening Kurt, which led him to do what he did."

Blaine pressed his lips together. "I know that's what you think."

"Why don't you agree?"

"Kurt would never hurt me like that to protect himself. He would sacrifice anything for me. I'm not necessarily happy about that fact, but I know it's true, and you do too. Maybe our instinct was right and part of his leaving had something to do with the roses, but you didn't see his face that day. He looked me dead in the eye and said he didn't love me anymore. Even if he was doing it because he was threatened, that doesn't mean his feelings weren't true."

"I just find that so hard to believe. He loved you so much."

"He's too good for me, you know that, Burt."

Burt laughed and patted a broken Blaine's arm. "Listen here, kiddo. When Kurt was growing up, I never thought anyone he dated could ever be good enough for him. And then he told me about you, and while I was skeptical at first, Blaine...you are everything I could have asked for for my son."

Tears pricked at Blaine's eyes and he blinked them back furiously.

"Please come with me. Just try to talk to Kurt. We'll never know if it works until we try."

Blaine nodded. "Okay. We'll go after work today."

"Thank you. Now go get to work, Chancellor."

Blaine wandered the rest of the way to his office, unable to stop thinking about the possibility of seeing Kurt that evening. What would he do? What would he say? He tried to push it to the back of his mind as he entered his office, but upon opening the door, he immediately noticed that something was very, very wrong.

He had almost expected the black rose to be sitting on his desk, but the rose was not what made Blaine pale and feel faint.

Every picture of him and Kurt (which was an embarrassingly large number) had been drenched in black paint to the point where they were unrecognizable. The frames on his desk sat in pools of the chalky paint that was still drying and dripping off the edges, and the message was clear.

"Burt! BURT!" Blaine shouted frantically until the man came running down the hall. "Change of plans. We're going to Kurt _now._ "

 **Kurt**

Fifteen unanswered texts and four unanswered calls and Kurt was getting frustrated. It had been almost a week since he had decided to meet up with Chase, and almost a week had gone by with no response.

During that week, his dad had come by five times to try talking to him, but Kurt shut him out every time. He knew Burt would have a million questions about why he did what he did, and Kurt was not interested in answering them. Burt was bound to be confused and hurt by what Kurt had done to Blaine, since he had come to love Blaine equally as much as he did Kurt. Kurt just hoped to have everything figured out before he had to explain himself to his dad. Of course, he was no closer to finding a solution than he had been the day he left Blaine, but he had no clue where to turn aside from Chase, and Chase was not returning his attempts at communication.

As the thought crossed his mind, his phone vibrated from across the room. It was probably Blaine again, he figured. Blaine had left him a text each day reminding Kurt that he loved him, and every single letter of those messages broke Kurt's heart a little more. Even though Blaine believed Kurt did not want anything to do with him anymore, he continued to let Kurt know that he was loved, continued to take care of him. Security often surrounded his building, Wes was always sneaking around to check on him, and every morning, a gold-dipped rose awaited him at the back door. Kurt gently touched the petals of the rose he wore that day, thinking about how different his life was than when he first started wearing them.

He sighed and retrieved his phone. Sure enough, a message from Blaine read _I love you, Kurt._ But just below that was exactly what he had been waiting for.

 _From Chase: Meet me behind your shop tonight at 9:00._

* * *

The floor of Kurt's office was beginning to wear down in places from all of the pacing he had been doing since he started staying there. He dug his toes into the hardwood and turned sharply, fingers clutching his cell phone as he debated whether or not to call someone as a safety precaution. He considered calling Wes, but ultimately decided against it.

The back door to his shop creaked loudly as he pushed it open and immediately saw Chase sitting in his car waiting for him. He approached the car and Chase waved him over to the passenger side and gestured for him to get in the car.

Kurt slid into the cool leather seat, the smell reminding him of Blaine's car. The memory of

Blaine reminded him of why he was doing what he was doing, and he looked Chase square in the eyes.

"What is going on here?"

Chase chuckled. "Nice to see you, too, Kurt. I didn't actually think I'd hear from you again."

Kurt was not in the mood. "Well I've had enough. Cut the shit and tell me what's happening."

A few seconds passed in silence before Chase spoke. "You haven't held up your end of the bargain."

"Of course I have. I've destroyed both myself and Blaine."

"Wrong. Anderson is still running this country into the ground."

"The deal was for me to leave Blaine. Not for him to step down from Chancellor."

"We assumed one thing would lead to another. They're very angry that you haven't fulfilled your part of the deal."

Kurt huffed angrily, crossing his arms. "I told you I did. Plus, it wasn't really a deal, was it? What am I getting out of it?"

"Your life," Chase said simply. "I warned you about their weapon."

"What exactly is this weapon you speak of?"

"The ability to make you forget. The power to make you join the other side."

"Never going to happen." Kurt gritted his teeth.

"Come with me, then. They just want to talk to you."

Kurt stared at him blankly.

"Do you trust me?" Chase asked.

"Hell no," Kurt spat.

Chase gave a wry smile. "No, you probably shouldn't." He turned his body to face Kurt. "I'm really sorry, Kurt."

"Sorry for what?"

"For this."

Chase's hand and a metal object flashed in his periphery and Kurt's world went black.

 **Wes**

Wes knew Blaine would not be happy to know that he was still checking up on Kurt every day and bringing him his rose. From the moment he accused and fired Wes, Blaine had been so angry that he refused to even let Wes try to explain himself. Wes knew better than to keep pushing the issue; Kurt's tenacity had worn off on Blaine over the last year, and once Blaine's mind was made up, there was no going back. He didn't even blame Blaine for believing he had betrayed him. It made complete sense.

Instead of arguing pointlessly, Wes decided to lay low and continue checking in with Kurt. At least that way he could still do _something_.

He greeted the girls in the front of Kurt's shop as he did every morning, but that day, they told him they hadn't seen Kurt at all. He knocked on the office door, only to receive no answer. He went around back, only to find that the golden rose had never been picked up that morning.

Feeling a little agitated, he wondered if perhaps Kurt had gone to his dad's house. Maybe he'd made up with Blaine and gone back there.

He drove by both locations and found no sign of Kurt. It was almost afternoon by the time he returned to the shop and panic was starting to set in. Only when the girls working the shop reported that they still had not seen Kurt, did Wes begin to realize that something was very wrong.

He let himself out back behind the shop and walked up and down the alley, wondering what to do. Blaine would have blocked his calls by now, and Burt too, probably. He could call Blaine and Kurt's security team, or the police…

Before he could agonize any further, a familiar car rolled down the back street.

Morgan drove with his assistant in the passenger seat, and Burt and Blaine got out of the back.

Blaine's eyes landed on Wes and they narrowed.

"What the hell are you doing here? Leave."

"I know I'm the last person you want to see, and I know you let me go, but I've still been keeping tabs on Kurt to make sure he's doing okay. Nobody has seen him all day, Blaine. I checked everywhere I thought he might be, and he's nowhere."

Worry crossed Blaine's face, but was quickly replaced by anger.

"We will take care of it from here, Montgomery. Leave or I'll have Morgan help you leave."

Wes wanted to fall to his knees and beg. He looked at Blaine with searching eyes. "Blaine, please. You know me. I wouldn't ever hurt either of you. I want to help. Please."

"I trusted you one too many times." Blaine looked sad, but shook his head resolutely. "Morgan. Take him away from here," he called, loud enough to be heard through the car window.

The large man unpacked himself from the small car and stood in front of Wes. When he made no attempt to move, Morgan reached out, his white sleeve peeking out from underneath his black jacket.

Wes knew Blaine saw it at the same time he did because of the tiny gasp he couldn't bite back in time.

There, on Morgan's sleeve that was no longer hidden under the jacket, were three smudged fingerprints in black, powdery paint.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Eleven**

Cooper felt his awareness coming back to him slowly like a lifting fog. His brain kicked in before his body, and he listened for any clues about his surroundings. He was laying on a hard surface, not tied down or restrained with anything, but he could hear people milling about nearby, talking in hushed voices.

"As soon as he's awake, we can explain what's going on just long enough for him to freak out before we give it to him. We can even tell him that we're expecting Hummel any day now."

"Your evil side never fails to surprise and impress me, Wong."

Cooper tensed, but forced himself not to move even an eyelid. He couldn't let on that he was awake, at least until he was ready to make his move.

There were at least three people in the room, which sounded like a vast, empty space. Cooper had no idea where the room was, or how to get out, but he could hear the sounds of vehicles rushing by outside and knew he had to be close to an exit.

"He should be waking up soon, will you go get the doctor?" a man's voice (presumably Wong's) asked. Cooper assumed that Wong and the other man in the room were the two men who had abducted him.

Footsteps leading away from where Cooper was laid out slapped against the ground, and he knew that this was his only chance for escape. In one single motion, he flung himself off the surface, thankfully expecting it to have been raised off the ground. The two men jumped to attention and ran at him, preparing to wrestle him back into submission, but Cooper was ready.

For the first time in his life, he thanked his father for something, more grateful than he had ever been for the boxing lessons he'd been forced to take as a child and continued to willingly participate in even as an adult.

The two men he faced were clearly not trained in any type of fighting, and Cooper easily took them down with a few jabs. He scoped out the room and saw a heavy door illuminated by a red EXIT sign straight ahead, and made a beeline for it.

A frantic looking woman in a white coat rushed into the room, and screamed "Stop!" Cooper did not stop. He hit the door with a _crash_! but it did not open, remaining steadfastly and apparently locked.

He almost laughed at himself for what he was about to do as he backed up a few steps and took a running start at the door, just yards away from the two men he had knocked out who had now gotten to their feet and were coming after him. Cooper put all his weight behind his shoulder and rammed the door, which, miraculously, flew open.

"FUCK!" he cried, grabbing at his shoulder, which he had dislocated in the assault on the door. But as he sprinted through the empty parking lot surrounding the warehouse in which he had previously been captive and ran toward the road to find someone to hitch a ride back to town with, he smirked, because he, Cooper Daniels (née Anderson), had just shouldered down a door with enough brute force to escape some bad guys. He filed the feelings away for use in his future movie career. He just couldn't make this stuff up.

* * *

After coming to the realization that Morgan, his most trusted security advisor, was the one who had betrayed him instead of Wes, Blaine was frozen in place.

"Blaine?" Wes asked shakily as Morgan continued to grab him, following Blaine's initial orders.

"Blaine?" This time it was Burt calling his name as he stepped out of the car to monitor the scene. "Blaine!"

The concern in Burt's voice snapped Blaine out of his paralysis as he slipped into his commanding voice and presence.

"Leave Wes. Morgan, take the car key but give the rest of the key ring to Burt so he can get into Kurt's office. Wes, go wait inside and I'll come speak to you in a moment. Morgan, go back to the Council building and start figuring out how to find Kurt."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Morgan and Wes took off, leaving Burt and Blaine standing behind The Golden Rose.

"What just happened?" Burt asked, noting Blaine's shaking hands.

"It wasn't Wes, Burt, it was Morgan. He's been the one all along."

"So you just let him go?!"

"I didn't want him to know I was on to him. Plus, you have the keys now, so he can't get into our personal spaces anymore."

"What do we do now?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Wes peeked out from behind the back door, looking left and right to make sure Morgan had gone.

Blaine opened his mouth, but Wes silenced him. "You don't have to say it."

"Yes I do!"

"Please don't. I understand the immense stress you've been under."

"Wes, I'm—"

"Don't say it!"

"Okay. I won't."

"Good."

"I'm so sorry!" Blaine blurted out, causing Wes to roll his eyes and Burt to chuckle, despite the gravity of the situation.

"I know you are. You're forgiven. Now let's figure out how to find your boy."

"I feel like we've been in this situation before…" Blaine mused wryly, remembering how much of a help Wes was to him after graduation when Kurt had disappeared from his life.

"And we will have as good of an outcome this time, I promise," Wes said sincerely enough that it made Blaine pull him into a hug.

"All right, boys, enough with the sap. Let's turn those feelings into action," Burt grumbled, though Blaine could swear he saw him wiping at his eyes.

"Just one problem, though, Burt. We have no clue where to start."

"We could trail Morgan after he leaves work today?" Wes suggested.

"We could. There's got to be a better way…"

Blaine's phone rang, blasting "Pony" by Ginuwine, pulling a laugh out of the Chancellor. His brother had made it a habit to steal Blaine's phone whenever they were at Friday night dinners and change his ringtone for himself, Wes, and Sam to ridiculously sexual songs, then for the boys to call Blaine constantly throughout the week just to hear the ringtone play.

"I need to answer, or he'll keep calling until I do," Blaine apologized to Burt and Wes before picking up the phone.

"Coop, now is really not a good time."

"You're telling me! I'm sitting in the back of some random guy's rusty old pickup truck talking on his flip phone. With an antenna!"

"What?" Blaine was caught off guard by Cooper's words and the breathless, urgent sound of his voice. "Why?"

"I was abducted and taken to an empty fucking warehouse where a bunch of people were trying to keep me captive and give me...something. Some sort of medication or something. Blaine, I escaped by punching these dudes out and then I broke down the fucking door with my shoulder! _My shoulder,_ little brother! I ran as fast as I could and jumped in with the first person who would pick up a hitchhiker and here I am. This is exactly the kind of material I needed for my biopic, lead role played by none other than me. What a fucking trip!"

"Um...what are you on, Cooper?" Blaine asked carefully, sure that his brother was high.

"Adrenaline, squirt! Adrenaline."

"Okay, so why did you call me from the back of a pickup truck to tell me this?" Blaine asked.

"Oh! Right. So when I was in this warehouse, pretending to be knocked out still — see? I was made for acting! — I heard them talking about how Kurt would be there soon and that they were going to do something to him. It sounded bad, Blaine."

"What the fuck, Cooper, why didn't you lead with that?!" Blaine was heading to the driver's side of Wes' car already, motioning for the others to follow him. "Kurt went missing some time in the last 12 hours. Do you know how to get to this warehouse place? Can you show us?"

"As long as random pickup dude doesn't murder me, then yes. We're just coming into the north side of town."

"Have him drop you off, preferably in a well-lit area with lots of witnesses around. We'll come pick you up."

"Okay, but Blaine? After I show you how to get there and I'm finished being the hero of the day, I'm going to need to politely excuse myself to go to the hospital. My arm hurts like fucking hell."

* * *

"Did I tell you how I busted down a door with only my own strength?"

"Yes, Cooper," Burt, Wes, and Blaine chorused with an air of annoyance.

"Only about fifteen times," Blaine grumbled, unable to give much care to anything except rescuing Kurt.

"Fine. See if I let you play yourself in my upcoming motion picture about my life." Cooper crossed his arms grumpily and fell into silence.

Twenty or so miles down the road, Cooper spoke up excitedly. "Ooh! There's the warehouse!"

"Jesus, Coop!" The tires squealed as Blaine pulled a sharp turn to head to the warehouse that Cooper had pointed out as they were passing by.

Burt and Blaine emerged from the car and Wes took over behind the wheel, intending to take Cooper to the hospital.

"Be safe," he said to the two who were going in the warehouse. "We'll see you soon."

"Bye. Thank you, Cooper," Blaine hugged his brother tightly, despite the irritation he'd caused him all day.

"Good luck, baby bro."

* * *

"We did not think this through thoroughly enough," Blaine whispered to Burt out of the corner of his mouth as they were immediately detained and handcuffed upon entering the building.

"Mr. Hummel, Mr. Anderson. We've been hoping you would join us sooner or later."

"Johnson, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked the ex-Councilman who he had personally let go before appointing a new, fair Council.

"Making things right," he said simply.

"Is Kurt here?"

"Cutting right to the chase, aren't we?" Johnson asked with a taunting look in his eyes.

"Is he?" Blaine's voice was icy, and anyone with a normal sense of self-preservation would have been terrified of it.

"See for yourself," he opened a door to a small room with a large pane of glass that showed a huge, empty storage space. Blaine charged toward the glass, realizing what was on the other side.

Kurt was there, strapped down to a chair, looking ragged and worn down, but fortunately not injured as far as Blaine could tell.

"KURT! KURT!" He yelled through the glass, banging his body up against it, since his hands were tied behind his back.

Kurt and the four other people in the warehouse room looked toward the glass. Kurt's eyes found Blaine and for just a moment, just one second, everything else melted away around them.

Blaine looked into Kurt's distressed face, and felt nearly bowled over by the force of the emotion rolling off of him. Even separated by glass, Blaine could feel Kurt's relief, fright, and comfort at seeing Blaine there. Blaine tried to project back promises of safety and love, though he wasn't sure if Kurt even wanted his love anymore.

Kurt wiggled his fingers just as much as the restraints would allow, and the light glinted off of something on his hand.

The ring.

Blaine's breath caught as he realized Kurt was wearing the engagement ring on his left ring finger. Nothing made sense, and everything was in danger, but seeing the ring there calmed Blaine's erratically beating heart.

Kurt's eyes shifted to where his dad stood nervously next to Blaine, and gave a small smile, as if to say, "I'm all right, dad."

"I see we have visitors," the woman in the white coat said. "Why don't we explain to everyone what's going on here. Chase?"

For the first time, Blaine realized that one of the people in the warehouse was none other than Chase, and his hair stood on end, body vibrating with rage. Kurt silenced him with a sideways glare, message clear as day. _Don't do anything to make them hurt you._

"We are the Black Roses. We've been working tirelessly all year to find a way to take down Chancellor Anderson and stop the Resistance in its tracks," Chase explained. "When it wasn't as easy as we anticipated to remove the Chancellor from office, we began developing a serum that would help us accomplish our goal. Doctor Stanley?"

The woman in the lab coat stepped forward again. Blaine wanted to wipe the smiles right off their faces.

"We needed a way to put an end to the outrageous brainwashing the Resistance has begun, so we created this little injection." She held up a gleaming syringe full of clear liquid. "This leaves long term memories in tact, but erases memories from short term. People who have been given this injection remember who they are, but not necessarily anything about their lives from the past few years. We then re-condition them to believe that Chancellor Anderson needs to go, and that Class equality and liberation is wrong. It's been quite a fascinating process. And now, we're going to administer the injection to your beloved Hummel," she spoke directly to Blaine. "If it works as intended, which it will, he will not recall any of the work he's done with the Resistance, or any of the beliefs he's been brainwashed into adopting over the past few years. And the best part of all, he won't remember even meeting you, Mr. Anderson, let alone that he once loved you."

A tear rolled down Kurt's pained face, but he sat passively, because there was nothing he could do. Blaine looked around, but he, too, was trapped and helpless.

There was nothing worse Blaine could have imagined. Having Kurt out there in the world with no idea what they had shared, no clue the love they had for each other, was infinitely worse than Kurt consciously deciding to stay away from Blaine.

"Our original plan was to administer this injection to you, as well, Chancellor, but I think it's going to be much more fun to watch you suffer, knowing that he can't remember anything about you."

Silent sobs ripped through Blaine's body, but he remained unable to move. He could scream and shout at Kurt how much he loved him and hope that he would hear it back, but neither seemed able to make his voice cooperate. Instead, they stared at each other, passing back and forth unspeakable emotions. Kurt wiggled his fingers again, catching the light on his ring, and Blaine closed his eyes, leaning his head against the window pane in defeat. He felt Burt's presence next to him, trying to soothe him, but for the first time ever, Blaine hated Burt, because at the end of the day, Kurt would remember his father.

"My assistant will be administering the serum. It shouldn't hurt too bad. And don't be afraid, nobody has died from it in a while."

A smaller man in a white coat and green rubber gloves stepped up to Kurt's chair as the doctor ordered everyone else away.

Kurt finally tore his eyes off Blaine to look at the man while the doctor continued to ramble on about her successes with the serum.

Blaine watched helplessly as the assistant swabbed Kurt's arm where the needle would go in, knowing how terrified Kurt must be, and dying inside that he was powerless to stop it.

The man's sleeve fell back as he held up the syringe in front of Kurt's face, to show him and presumably scare him further, and Blaine saw the slightest change in Kurt's posture. Had he not known Kurt like he did, had he not spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours watching and admiring him, he would not have noticed the shift, but to Blaine, it was clear as daylight as Kurt's shoulders rolled back and seemed to relax incrementally.

That was it. Kurt had given up. Not that there had been any hope to begin with.

Everyone in the room fell silent. "Now, Parker," the doctor ordered.

An evil smile came over the assistant's face as he inserted the needle into Kurt's arm and pushed down to put the poison in his body.

Everyone waited with bated breath while Parker stepped away and the doctor came forward.

"What is your name?"

Kurt blinked a few times before opening his mouth. "Kurt Hummel."

"What do you think of the current Chancellor?"

Kurt frowned, two little creases forming between his eyebrows. "I don't remember who it is," he eventually said with frustration.

"Does the name Blaine Anderson mean anything to you?"

Kurt closed his eyes, straining as if reaching for a memory that he couldn't quite find. Blaine's heart stopped beating while he waited for the response. Finally, Kurt spoke his answer. "I don't know anyone named Blaine Anderson."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Twelve**

Dead silence followed Kurt's words, save for a muffled sniffing coming from behind the glass where Blaine stood watching. The members of the Black Roses wore giddy smiles, making it clear that they were pleased with the success of their serum.

"Come," the doctor snapped toward the small room off the main warehouse, and the men who had been watching Blaine and Burt grabbed them by the elbows and roughly steered them into the room with everyone else. Kurt looked everywhere but at Blaine as he approached, ignoring his every instinct and fighting to stay still.

"He doesn't seem to remember you at all, Chancellor," the doctor sneered at Blaine. "Hummel, take a look. This is Chancellor Blaine Anderson. Still nothing?"

Bringing his eyes up to meet Blaine's was the hardest thing Kurt could have been asked to do. Blaine looked even more heartbroken than he had the day Kurt left him; tear tracks streaked down his blotchy face, his shoulders hunched in on themselves, and something dark and pleading clouded his eyes. But their only possible ticket out of the nightmare they were in depended on Kurt making his performance believable, so he gripped the arms of the chair he was tied to as he searched Blaine's face passively before turning his head toward the doctor.

"No, ma'am. I don't recognize him."

He heard a shuddering gasp of breath from Blaine's direction and his father talking in a low, soothing voice.

"Anderson, I'm going to release your hands now. We're right behind you, so don't even think about trying anything." It was Chase who had spoken, and Kurt cringed at hearing the voice of the man who had destroyed so much for them. "Go ahead, go to him. Try to get him to remember."

It almost took more restraint for Kurt not to roll his eyes and try to break free of his ties to smack the gleeful smile off Chase's face than it did not to break under Blaine's lost stare.

The second the handcuffs were off, Blaine was on his knees at Kurt's feet, fingers gripping at the tied hands in front of him.

Kurt squirmed and tried to look uncomfortable in the face of a man who was supposed to be a stranger falling at his feet. The doctor's assistant came up and released Kurt's hands from their restraints. He flexed his fingers in relief and pulled his hands back slightly from Blaine.

As badly as he wanted to send Blaine some sort of subtle signal — wiggling his ring finger as he had earlier, rubbing at his tattoo, _anything,_ he couldn't. He had to make even Blaine believe he was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Kurt asked evenly, brow furrowed as he looked at Blaine blankly.

"Kurt, Kurt, Kurt, baby, it's me, it's Blaine, love. I love you so much. What can I do to help you remember me?" he babbled, voice cracking.

Blaine's hands found the backs of Kurt's knees and his fingers ran lightly over the cloth-covered, yet sensitive skin there.

Kurt jerked slightly at the sensation. Blaine knew he hated being touched there.

"Why don't you remind him of some special times you've shared together and see if that jogs his memory?" Chase suggested with a laugh in his voice.

"Kurt," Blaine's fingers gripped the backs of his legs tightly, imploringly. Tears still streamed down his face and his shoulders shook, the tremors rolling all the way through to Kurt's heart.

 _Please don't break me,_ Kurt thought. _Whatever you say next, please don't break me._ He knew that Blaine's words held power unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. To be reminded of their best moments together in Blaine's beautiful poetic phrasing would be torture. Kurt steeled himself.

"Baby, remember when we went to our first dinner dance at Dalton together? It was such an amazing evening. You looked incredible in that red suit, as you always do, and we danced the whole night away. When we couldn't bear it any longer, I took you back to my room for the most magical night…"

 _What?_ Kurt's head was spinning. He and Blaine had never gone to a dinner dance together, he'd never owned a red suit, and Blaine had never taken him back to his room.

 _Holy shit_ , Kurt realized. Blaine knew. Somehow he had figured out that Kurt hadn't gotten the real serum and he _knew._ That was why he was touching Kurt in a place he knew he couldn't stand. That was why he was telling made up stories. He knew he could have easily shattered Kurt's front if he'd been sincere, brushing fingertips across his cheeks or down his forearms, talking about their most intimate memories together.

In that moment, Kurt fell in love with his brilliant, clever, _perfect_ boy all over again. When this mess was all over, if they came out unscathed, he was going to worship Blaine every day for the rest of their lives. He pulled himself together before he'd gaped too long.

"I don't—I don't remember that…" Kurt pushed back uncomfortably in his chair to try to edge away from Blaine, who acted and sounded more desperate with each passing minute. His brain knew he was doing what needed to be done, but his heart and his body tried pulling him in the opposite direction.

"What about the morning after I was elected Chancellor and we had a huge brunch with all of our family—"

"Make him stop! Please," Kurt called out to the doctor, certain that he couldn't keep away from Blaine much longer. "Get him away from me!"

"Okay, okay," the doctor said reluctantly. "That's enough fun for one day."

Blaine slumped back into a ball, crying his heart out and moaning "no, no, no" as the assistant dragged him a few feet away from Kurt.

"You know…" the doctor began, "we were going to let Anderson go on with his miserable life for a while, but I'm starting to think it would be even more fun to wipe his memory, too. Prepare him," she said excitedly, watching two of the men march toward Blaine.

Kurt and Blaine jerked their heads toward each other in a panic.

"NO!" they both shouted simultaneously, jumping to their feet and disintegrating any illusion they'd just created.

All heads in the room whipped toward them, the shock of the moment causing everyone to pause for a second.

Kurt and Blaine both shuffled closer, intending to defend each other. Before they had a chance to act on it, though, a cacophony of various sirens sounded from outside and the building was suddenly surrounded.

"Police!" Came a deep voice through a speaker. "Open the door and put your hands up!"

* * *

After the police arrived, everything was a complete blur. Arrests were made left and right, and Kurt was ushered into an ambulance before he could protest. Two officers had whisked Blaine and Burt away back to their office for questioning, and Blaine had barely had time to send Kurt a look over his shoulder before they were gone.

Just before the ambulance doors closed, Kurt saw the police trying to cuff Parker, the assistant who gave Kurt the false injection.

"WAIT!" he cried, pushing at his escorts. "Wait! You can't arrest him. He's innocent!"

The officers raised an eyebrow at Kurt. "Explain yourself."

"I've—I can't say I've ever met him before, but he's a double agent, I'm sure of it. He saved my life."

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel. We will investigate this claim before taking any further action."

Kurt locked eyes with Parker and mouthed _thank you_ before being hurried back into the ambulance, despite protests that he was fine.

* * *

Three hours of undergoing pointless tests and observation later, Kurt was finally released from the hospital. He had bruises on the back of his head from where Chase had knocked him out (but thankfully showed no evidence of a concussion), and bruising and cuts on his wrists from where they had been tied. The placebo injection had been ruled harmless and Kurt had been cleared to leave.

He would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't hoped that either Blaine or his father would be waiting for him in the lobby, so it was disappointing to find that he was alone. Kurt supposed that they were probably angry with him— _he_ was angry with himself, but he'd still hoped. Blaine was a very forgiving person, especially when it came to Kurt, and Kurt couldn't wait to throw himself at Blaine, apologize, and make up.

First he needed to find a way home, though. He was just picking up his phone to call a cab when he ran into Wes, who pulled him into a fierce hug.

"You're okay! Is Blaine all right? And Burt? What happened? I called the cops right after I drove away with Cooper to bring him here, but I wasn't sure if they'd get there on time. Come on, I'll drive you home and you can tell me everything."

"Okay, but take me by the shop first, please," Kurt requested.

Wes agreed and they left, arm in arm, Kurt feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks.

In his office, Kurt neatly folded and stashed everything that he had brought from home back into the suitcase it had come in, wondering if his next move was the right one. Even if they made up, he couldn't know that Blaine wanted him to move back in right away. He just had to have faith in Blaine and in them.

He was jittery the whole ride home—so much so that Wes kept shooting him concerned glances, but he couldn't stop his racing heart.

"Thank you, Wes. For today and for always. You've saved our lives more than once."

Wes gave him another hug, mumbling an embarrassed "you're welcome" and shooing him toward the house and shouting after him "I won't be back tonight. Call me when you're done having make up sex!"

It was a strange feeling, standing on the front step outside the home he had built with the love of his life and not knowing what awaited on the other side of the door.

 _Faith_ , he reminded himself as he raised his hand to knock.

Seconds later, Blaine opened the door, keys in hand and looking completely disheveled and exhausted.

"Blaine!" Kurt gasped, overwhelming emotions coursing through his body and threatening to make his knees give out beneath him.

"Kurt?" Blaine sounded shocked. "I was just heading out to come find you. I just got home from the police station. Come in."

That explained why Blaine hadn't been waiting at the hospital. Kurt entered timidly, taking only a half step in the door. He wanted so badly to take Blaine into his arms and break apart at the seams with every pent up emotion he'd felt the past month, but something in Blaine's expression stopped him.

"The police arrested everyone involved and the Council will vote on their prison terms this week. We're safe now. You're safe now. You're free to...to leave, if that's what you want. I assume you came to get the rest of your things. But if you change your mind, I'd still happily let you have the house."

"Blaine," Kurt tried stopping the stream of words falling hopelessly from Blaine's mouth.

"We can trade off Friday night dinners so that we can both still see our friends and family, and—"

"Blaine! Stop talking."

Blaine froze with his mouth hanging open, mid-word, then clamped it shut. Kurt hoisted his suitcase up and around in front of him, looking Blaine straight in the eyes.

"If it's okay with you, I would really, _really_ like to come home now."

" _Kurt_ ," Blaine breathed disbelievingly. He lunged forward and caught Kurt in his arms and both men grasped at each other like they'd been parted for years. Through tears, they spoke over each other.

"It was all a lie, Blaine, I love you, of course I love you, that will never change—"

"I haven't been able to function without you—"

"—assistant was a double agent, did you know—"

"—you scared the shit out of me back at the warehouse—"

"—can't believe it!"

"—so glad to have you back."

"I love you, and I'm so happy that you're okay," Blaine said into Kurt's neck.

"I love you, too. So much. How could you ever doubt it!" Kurt asked, stuck on Blaine like a koala bear and unsure that he would ever be able to peel himself away.

Blaine pulled back to look into Kurt's eyes. "You're really, honestly telling the truth about staying? About loving me?"

Kurt felt a punch to the gut at his words and held onto Blaine even tighter. "Absolutely. I never wanted to leave you. Chase convinced me I had to in order to keep us safe. It was all for you. All for us."

"And you want to come home?"

"As long as you're here, there's no place in the world I'd rather be." Kurt let out a laugh as Blaine hugged him and spun him around before setting him down.

"God, Kurt, it's like you've just healed my heart. More than that, it's like you've just healed my entire being."

Kurt nuzzled into his neck. "I never want us to be apart again."

They kissed, all lips and sweetness and promises, sinking to the floor of the entryway and landing one on top of the other.

"I missed kissing you," Kurt admitted, flopping backward to lay next to Blaine, but close enough that their arms still touched and their fingers intertwined. "By the way, you were fucking brilliant today."

"Me? No, I couldn't have done what you did. Pretending not to remember me when I was kneeling and crying at your feet…"

"I almost couldn't. I really thought your words would be the end of me. But you knew. How did you know?"

"I guess I didn't, really, not at first. I could just kind of feel it. I know that sounds stupid, but our connection, the one I feel in my heart, was still there. It helped that you tipped me off when you relaxed a little before he gave you the shot."

Kurt laughed lightly, realizing how crazy it all was. "I can't believe we got out of that disaster. The assistant was on our side. I have no idea who he is or how or why he infiltrated the Black Roses, but before he gave me the injection, he held it up and pretended he was showing it to me, and his sleeve fell back. He had a gold dipped rose tattooed on his wrist, and I knew he was going to give me a fake dose."

"Well shit. We need to give that guy a job on our intelligence committee."

Kurt rolled to the side, propping himself up on his elbow and bringing a hand up to trace Blaine's cheekbones. " _Our_. _We_. Blaine, you have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say those words. I wasn't sure I'd ever hear them again."

"It will always be _us_ , Kurt. We are a package deal now," Blaine said with a soft smile as he played with the ring on Kurt's finger. "This looks _really_ good on you, by the way."

"I didn't just put it on to keep it safe, you know."

Blaine looked at him through eyes full of tears and possibility. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Kurt hitched a leg around Blaine's hips and bent down to kiss him, this one heated and full of desire. He felt Blaine's arousal almost immediately, his body responding similarly. "Wes said he wouldn't come back until we told him we were done having make up sex."

Blaine laughed, but it was deep and wanton as he simultaneously rocked his hips up under Kurt. "He may not hear from us for a few days."

Kurt smiled against Blaine's mouth before standing and pulling Blaine up and toward the bedroom. "I am _so_ okay with that."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: Well, this is it. Time to say goodbye to this series. Enjoy the epilogue with a little angst and a lot of sweetness.**

 _ **Black & Gold**_

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Epilogue**

Everything was wonderful. Kurt moved back into their home, Friday night dinners resumed (with the addition of Cooper's epic tales of escape), Blaine and Kurt both went back to work, and there was no longer any mysterious threat hanging over their heads. Yes, everything was wonderful. At first.

In the first couple of days after the reunion, Kurt and Blaine were attached at the hip and so in love, but slowly, things became strained. It was so gradual that Blaine almost did not notice at first, but by the second week of having Kurt home, they hardly spent any time together at all. He had his own reservations and worries that were causing him to tread lightly, but he could not figure out why Kurt was distancing himself too, and he worked himself up wondering where he had gone wrong. Little did he know, Kurt was feeling the same.

Over dinner one evening, they brought up their concerns at the same time.

"Do you still want to be with me?" Blaine asked just as Kurt said "Why are you avoiding me?"

Then they both burst into laughter, the tension having dissipated instantly.

"Clearly we've forgotten how to communicate effectively in the past month," Kurt said, sliding his chair around the corner of the table to sit next to Blaine, and leaning in to rest his head against his shoulder. "We're both tiptoeing around one another and it's stupid. You know you can be as open with me as you ever have been, right?" He stroked his fingers up and down Blaine's leg.

"The same goes for you," Blaine said pointedly, melting into Kurt's touch, which he had missed so dearly.

"I'm worried that everything I've done has hurt our relationship beyond repair. After the way I left you, I don't know how you could ever trust me again," Kurt admitted honestly, biting his bottom lip.

"But you weren't doing it to be malicious, Kurt," Blaine pointed out with soft kiss to the top of Kurt's head. "You were doing it to try to save us from greater pain."

"I think I failed miserably at that," Kurt grumbled as he picked a piece of lint from Blaine's pant leg.

"You didn't though. You did whatever was in your power to protect me and us, just like you always do. You couldn't have foreseen what was going to happen...nobody could. Yes, going through you leaving was one of the most awful things I've ever had to endure," he grabbed Kurt's hand and squeezed it reassuringly as Kurt's whole body tensed at Blaine's confession. "But it didn't make me distrustful of you. If anything, it made me even more respectful of your strength. You've always been the strongest person I know. And I still love you and trust you with my heart very much."

A tear fell from Kurt's eye and onto Blaine's shoulder. Blaine turned slightly to kiss Kurt's forehead and wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered, nuzzling into the crook of Blaine's neck.

"I'm having a hard time understanding why you would stick around." It was Blaine's turn to voice his fears, and it was something he had worried about for a long time. "It's part of the reason I didn't blame you for leaving me. I can't protect you like you protect me. Just by being with me, you keep getting hurt. I don't know how much more pain I can stand to see others put you through just because you're my boyfriend. I don't see how it's worth it for you."

Kurt lifted his head to look into Blaine's worried eyes. "You _do_ protect me, Blaine. Every day when you go to work, you fight to make us equal in the eyes of the law. You've helped me in so many ways I can't even begin to name them. You use what resources you have at your disposal to the best of your ability to make sure our family is provided for and safe." He nudged Blaine lightly in the ribs. "And anyway, it's not just you who draws the negative attention. I have to think that even if I wasn't with you, I'd still attract trouble."

"That's probably true," Blaine laughed.

"And Blaine," Kurt took his face in his hands. "Every single moment of the life we share makes all of the hardships worth it. I don't know how, but I'll prove it to you some way."

Blaine seemed to be placated as his lips gave under Kurt's powerful kiss. His hands tangled in Kurt's shirt, clinging on like a lifeline. They kissed away the fears and the tension until all that was left was their love for each other. Kurt sat back and stood up, pulling Blaine's hand to lead him to the couch so they could cuddle more comfortably, forgetting the mess of dinner dishes they'd left on the table.

"Okay, but tell me some of the reasons I'm worth it," Blaine said jokingly when Kurt settled them both in under a blanket and curled into Blaine's side.

"Your kisses alone are worth it. The way you make me feel when we're having sex, like I'm special…"

Blaine ran an encouraging hand through Kurt's hair.

"You value my thoughts and opinions and you love me for who I am. Even when you found out my Class status, never once did you believe you were above me. We've built this home and our life together, and you've supported my business from day one." They shared another sweet kiss.

"We've been together through thick and thin and we come out stronger every single time. If there is one thing in my life I always know I can count on, it's you and your love for me. Your love is selfless, it's solid and dynamic and refreshing and so, so powerful. That, if nothing else, makes all of the pain worth it."

Blaine's eyes filled with tears as he listened to Kurt's words.

"Do you believe me now?"

Blaine nodded, breaking into a watery smile. His eyes fell to the ring on Kurt's finger and he reached for it, twisting it around.

"Blaine, we've been enemies, strangers, friends, boyfriends, and lovers. You don't want it to end there. You want to take it to the next level."

Kurt slid off the ring and placed it in Blaine's hand.

Panic was evident on Blaine's face, and Kurt could hear his breaths start to come in ragged gasps as he stared at the ring and tried to make sense of why Kurt was returning it.

"Blaine," Kurt said calmly, wrapping his arms tightly around his boyfriend. "Stop panicking. I'm going to want that back."

"Oh god," Blaine exhaled heavily in relief, letting his head fall back into the cushions behind him. "Okay, then why are you giving it to me?"

"I just...if things hadn't gone like they did, if you hadn't given me this ring because you thought I was walking out of your life and couldn't bear to keep it without me, how would you have proposed?" Kurt looked up through his eyelashes, looking a little bashful for once, and the question made Blaine straighten up excitedly.

"Well I was waiting for you to be ready first, but when the time came, I thought it would happen one of two ways. The first, I'd recreate our New York date. We'd go to dinner, see a show, walk through a secluded corner of a beautiful park. And somewhere on the path, I'd stop you and get down on one knee, give my planned speech, and ask you the question."

"When we were in NYC, I really thought you were going to do it that night," Kurt confessed, remembering how nervous he had felt, but how he knew for the first time without a doubt that he would say yes if Blaine asked.

"I didn't think you were ready to say yes, otherwise I would have," Blaine shrugged.

"I was getting there. What was the second way?"

"The other scenario included me taking you back to the jazz club and getting on stage while you watched from the audience as I played a song I wrote for you. At the end, I'd find you in the crowd, give you the speech, and ask."

"Those are both very romantic and meaningful, Blaine. Either would have been perfect," Kurt flushed in pleasure. He felt an unexpected sense of loss at the lack of a proposal that he'd never thought he wanted in the first place.

"All that being said, I'm convinced that in the end, after months of planning and agonizing over finding the perfect moment, the perfect date, I would have done it spontaneously on a night just like this. A night when we were relaxing at home, and you were looking irresistibly delicious and captivating and I just couldn't help myself. You would catch me staring at you," Kurt glanced up to find Blaine's eyes peering at him piercingly like they could see his soul. Blaine held his hands, turning to face him. "Then I'd take your hands and tell you how breathtaking you are, you would blush adorably and say—"  
"Stop it."  
Blaine chuckled. "Exactly. Then I'd tell you how goddamn lucky I am to have you in my life, that I would be nothing without your wit and your compassion backing me up and making me a better person. It would be nothing like the speech I'd prepared, but it would be even more meaningful because it would be coming straight from my heart with no filter. I'd tell you that every day with you is better than the last, and I want to spend a million more together. Then I'd brush my fingers across your cheek as I drop to the ground," he touched Kurt's exquisite face and slid to his knee, holding the ring in his outstretched palm. "And I'd offer myself up to you. I'd ask you if you were willing to join our lives together legally as they already were in our hearts. Then I'd say the magic words."

"Say them," Kurt whispered breathlessly.

"Kurt, my love, will you open the next chapter of our beautiful story by making me your husband?"

"And then?" Kurt's whole body was trembling as he watched Blaine, surer and steadier than ever on his knees in front of him.

"And then I'd wait for your answer with my heart flying along at a million beats a minute, but it wouldn't take long for you to put me out of my misery and say—"

"Yes."

Blaine dropped the ring in his surprise and had to scramble to pick it back up.

"You—"

"Yes, Blaine. Yes. Yes. There's nothing I want more than to be your husband. Now put that damn ring on my hand and get up here to kiss me until I can't feel my lips anymore."

It took a few tries between Kurt's shaking hands and Blaine dropping the ring, but it was eventually nestled back in place on Kurt's finger where it belonged and Blaine was on top of him on the couch, fulfilling Kurt's request.

Lips red and kiss swollen, Blaine pulled away, feeling the dizzying elation swirl between them.

"When?"

"There's no point in waiting. I want to be married to you as soon as possible. I want to be married to you yesterday."

Kurt thought his heart would burst at how happy Blaine looked.

"Exactly how fast can you put together a Kurt Hummel approved wedding?"

* * *

Two weeks later, Blaine and Kurt's family and friends gathered in their living room, watching the staircase eagerly for any sign of the two grooms.

All thirteen Council members (including Blaine and Burt) were present as well, for the ceremony was not only a wedding, but a major milestone in the society that Kurt and Blaine had crafted.

One lone photographer snapped his camera to commemorate the special day, but the press and the general public had been kept in the dark, as Blaine wanted the day for himself and Kurt and their family.

The music shifted and heads turned to watch Burt walking down the white rose-lined staircase with one groom on each arm.

Both Kurt and Blaine wore white suits designed by Kurt with gold dipped roses pinned to the lapels to match the white and gold themed decoration of the home.

Burt walked them slowly through the aisle between their loved ones as the camera flashed and clicked, and by the time they reached the back of their living room, they were both itching to get on with the ceremony.

Burt hugged Blaine tightly and whispered in his ear before sending him off to stand by Wes and Cooper, then turned to Kurt and hugged him as well, but did not say anything as they both tried to stem the flow of their tears. Then Kurt took his place by Sam and Renna and Burt stood between the grooms to officiate.

"Before we begin the joining of my two sons in marriage," Burt announced to the small crowd. "We have some very important business to attend to first. Blaine?"

Wes handed Blaine a small stack of papers and a pen.

"I have in my hands the final draft of the interclass marriage bill," Blaine said with an unstoppable smile. "Among our friends and family are eleven other people who have become very special to myself and Kurt over the past year. The Council men and women who I work with on a daily basis have been nothing but supportive of me and creative and critical when it comes to completely altering a system that has been in place for hundreds of years.

"Kurt and I would probably hold a ceremony and become married even if the law did not allow it. But here today, with the proper votes from my Council members, we have the opportunity to make our union legal and valid in the eyes of the state, as well as in our hearts and minds.

"Council, you have read the bill. Please make your final votes."

"Yes," it began.

Everyone in the room grew more excited with each affirmative vote, and it finally came back to Burt, who responded with a resounding "hell yes!"

Blaine, whose vote was not needed since it was unanimous, still turned to Kurt and said in a voice that was loud enough to be heard by the microphone but felt like a private affirmation to his fiancé, "yes."

Then he turned to the camera and his fellow Council as he signed the bill with a flourish and announced that interclass marriage was thereby legal.

"Now let's do this!" he exclaimed to a chorus of hollers and applause.

When he turned back and found Kurt overflowing with pride for him, he knew he couldn't wait a moment longer for them to be the first legally married interclass couple.

He was caught in a daze while Burt spoke, telling his version of the story of their meeting, how he knew from the beginning that they were meant to be together, and his he himself had come to love Blaine. Nothing but Kurt mattered when Burt read an excerpt from Blaine's Class Studies essay that had turned the tides for both of them. And when it was finally time for the vows, Blaine and Kurt joined hands and spoke the simple words they had so carefully selected.

"I, Blaine, take you, Kurt, to be my husband."

"I, Kurt, take you, Blaine, to be my husband."

"I promise to respect and support you."

"I promise to communicate with you openly and honestly."

"To always do my best to protect you."

"To always make myself vulnerable to you."

"To trust you and understand you."

"To give you one hundred percent of me."

"As your best friend."

"As the love of your life."

"As your partner."

Kurt grinned with all the brightness of the sun. "As your equal."

Blaine, who knew this was the most important part of their vows, fought to keep his voice at its normal pitch as he spoke. "As your equal."

When they exchanged rings and shared their first kiss as Mr. and Mr. Kurt and Blaine Hummel, they knew that it was only the beginning of their lives together. They knew that the lifetime of work Kurt had put in had finally paid off, that the tiny spark of rebellion Kurt had fostered growing up had fed into a larger flame and become a blazing fire that had consumed the corruption in their world. They knew that from there on out, every step they took together would be, as they had vowed, as equals.

And years down the road when they welcomed sweet little Rose into the world, they could rest assured knowing that she would never know the injustice of the Class system because they had done everything in their power to change the world, and that they had done it together.

 **Author's note (again): Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this story. I owe it all to you! xo**

 **And as always, you can find me on tumblr at xbeautifulunseenx**


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